The number of adults prescribed CNS stimulants and ADHD medicines leapt by 28 per cent to 150,000 identified patients in 2023-24, new NHS statistics reveal. 

The NHS Business Services Authority’s report on the use of mental health medicines in England, published today, also reveals that the number of children prescribed these medicines rose by 9.9 per cent to 120,000 identified patients. In 2015-16 there were 80,800 identified patients in total.

The number of CNS stimulants and ADHD drug items prescribed in 2023-24 was 2.91 million, a 14.6 per cent increase on the previous year.

The NHSBSA statistics show that young males aged 10 to 14 were the largest group to be prescribed drugs in this category, with just over 50,000 patients. This is in contrast to some other mental health medicines such as antidepressants and hypnotics, which are more likely to be prescribed to adult women.

Patients living in the most deprived areas were more likely to be prescribed ADHD medicines, with 63,400 patients in these regions currently receiving a prescription.

Methylphenidate hydrochloride products were the most commonly prescribed drug in this category.

The rise in prescriptions to treat ADHD has taken place against a backdrop of severe shortages of some medicines, with the Government issuing a statement last autumn concerning national supply shortages caused by manufacturing issues and increased demand globally.

The mental health medicines report shows rises in four out of five BNF drug categories. In addition to CNS stimulants, antidepressant prescribing rose by 3.3 per cent to 89 million items, making it the largest category, while prescriptions for dementia drugs rose by 5.78 per cent to 4.48 million items and prescriptions for antispsychotics rose by 1.41 per cent to 13.6 million items.

The Dementia BNF section remains the only mental health category in which prescriptions are issued at a higher rate in the most affluent parts of England rather than the most deprived.