Friday, 06 September 2019
A greater investment in services to support people with ADHD in both employment and education is needed to reduce the considerable economic cost to society, according to a new research project.
The study, published in the Journal European Psychiatry, highlights the considerable economic burden of ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) in adulthood and found that each adult with ADHD is associated with over £18,000 more costs per year than their same-sex sibling without ADHD.
Reasons behind the increased costs include the fact that adults with ADHD have a considerably lower disposable income and paid less tax then their siblings. They also received more state benefits and had higher costs for health, social care and crime.
The project was carried out by experts from the University of Nottingham in collaboration with Aarhus University and Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.
ADHD is a prevalent neuro-developmental disorder with substantial impact on daily functioning. It runs a relatively stable and chronic course and is predictive of functional impairment through adolescence and into adulthood.
Previous estimates of the cost of ADHD have focused on the total cost to society rather than the cost per individual. To find a more accurate figure, the team of researchers used the Danish National registers to examine the true economic burden of ADHD per individual.
Four hundred and sixty adults with a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood, but not childhood, with no other psychiatric difficulties and their same sex siblings without any psychiatric difficulties, were used for the study.
Focusing on data from 2010, cost differences between each adult with ADHD and their sibling were calculated from data retrieved from eleven different health, education, crime, employment and social care registers in Denmark.
Lead author of the paper, Professor David Daley, Director of the Centre for ADHD and Neurodevelopmental Disorders across the lifespan at the Institute of Mental Health at the University of Nottingham, said: "This study is all about getting to the real cost of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by using the Danish National Registers to rule out all other possible influences on cost differences between Adults with ADHD and their same sex siblings.
The study would not have been possible in the UK and its findings provide strong evidence for the need for greater investment in mental health services as well as the development of new educational and occupational services for adults with ADHD. On the basis of the findings of this study an-invest-to-save model would in the future reduce the economic impact of ADHD in adulthood.”
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More information is available from Professor David Daley from the Division of Psychiatry and Applied Psychology, in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham on +44 (0)7540 668761 or at david.daley@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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