ADHD diagnoses surge by 70 percent in elderly Americans, intriguing new data ... trends now
The burgeoning crisis in mental health is often thought of as an affliction reserved for young Americans who are troubled by increasingly uncertain futures.
But intriguing new figures suggest this is far from the case.
According to a new analysis by healthcare data firm FAIR Health, diagnoses of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression have soared in older Americans, reaching a prevalence higher than ever before.
In fact, the data show that the biggest leap in mental illness between 2019 and 2023 was among those aged over 65.
About 14 percent of adults over age 65 were diagnosed with some form of mental illness in 2023, compared to nine percent in 2019. This marks a 57 percent increase.
Meanwhile, adults ages 23 to 40 saw a 44 percent increase, and children under 10 experienced a 30 percent jump.
A study by researchers at FAIR Health evaluated the increases in mental illness diagnoses for different age groups from 2019 to 2023. Every age group saw an increase
The biggest jump was in Americans over age 65, which the experts said could be due to increased awareness and expanded access to telehealth during the pandemic
Overall, the amount of people being diagnosed with mental health conditions increased by 40 percent in this period, the data from 46 billion insurance claims showed.
Generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder were the most common diagnoses, but perhaps most intriguingly, the rate of ADHD diagnoses skyrocketed by 70 percent.
This appears to be a larger rise compared to other, younger age groups, according to previous research.
A study published in JAMA found a 43 percent increase in ADHD diagnoses in adults and a 13 percent jump in children over 10 years.
The latest findings have puzzled experts, who have long believed boomers are somewhat shielded from mental health problems due to their infrequent use of social media, on average, which is said to be driving the younger generation's psychiatric decline.
However, experts have offered some possible theories to explain the shock rise.
Mostly, they have noted it could be increased due to greater access to
