To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) any correlation between those with ADHD and an increased risk of developing drug or alcohol dependency, or experiencing trauma; and (ii) the estimated percentage of the (a) Northern Ireland population; and (b) UK-wide population that currently have ADHD.

any correlation between those with ADHD and an increased risk of developing drug or alcohol dependency, or experiencing trauma;

There is a body of evidence on the increased risk of substance misuse in people with ADHD. This is noted in the NICE guidance on ADHD diagnosis and management (last updated 2019) as follows:

“Be aware that people in the following groups may have increased prevalence of ADHD compared with the general population:

people with a history of substance misuse

… that untreated ADHD can have far-reaching, long-lasting negative impacts on a child or young person's life (for example, affecting academic performance, interpersonal relationships, work, personal issues, substance use and driving).

Symptoms of ADHD can overlap with those of other related disorders. Therefore, care in differential diagnosis is needed. ADHD may also coexist with other disorders. Common coexisting conditions in children include disorders of mood, conduct, learning, motor control, language and communication, and anxiety disorders; in adults, they include personality disorders, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance misuse”.

(ii) the estimated percentage of the (a) Northern Ireland population; and (b) UK-wide population that currently have ADHD.

The Department does not hold specific data or information on this but from literature available, please see the following:

The global prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children is estimated to be around 5%, while studies based on US populations (where rates of diagnosis and treatment tend to be highest) estimate the rate at between 8% and 10%.

ADHD is more commonly diagnosed in boys than girls. Prevalence ratios are generally estimated at 2–5:1, while clinic populations show a ratio as high as 10:1. This sex difference may be due to the fact that boys present more often with disruptive behaviour that prompts referral, whereas girls more commonly have the inattentive subtype and have lower comorbidity with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder.

In the UK, the prevalence of ADHD in adults is estimated at 3% to 4%, with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 3:1

Youth Wellbeing Survey in NI 2020 (carried out by UU and commissioned by HSCB) states the following but note it is not referring specifically to ADHD:

Overall, the findings indicate that approximately 1 in 8 children and young people in Northern Ireland experience emotional difficulties, 1 in 10 experience conduct problems and 1 in 7, problems with hyperactivity. These prevalence estimates are broadly in keeping with findings from other UK surveys which have used the SDQ (Fink et al., 2015; University of Essex & Institute for Social & Economic Research, 2020), although it is notable that problems with peers and prosocial behaviour were substantially lower in NI than those identified in recent UK surveys

There is further information available in the NICE evidence review (2018) on risk factors for ADHD found in the links below.

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87/evidence/a-risk-factors-pdf-4783686301

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/background-information/prevalence/