Here are the figures by canton

ADHD, or deficit disorder of attention with or without hyperactivity, is increasingly diagnosed in adults, especially in Switzerland.Image: Unsplash, Watson mounting

In Switzerland, attention to attention deficit drugs are increasingly prescribed to adults. But there are significant differences between the cantons.

Stephanie Schnydrig / ch media

Few diagnoses are the subject of as much controversy as attention to attention deficit, or ADHD. For some, it rhymes with explanation and relief, for others, it is simply a fashionable pain.

A disturbance especially recognized in children

The famous British cook Jamie Oliver would be reached, just like the pop singer Taylor Swift or the tennis player Serena Williams. It would have been even posthumously detected in Léonardo da Vinci.

ADHD has long been considered a typical infantile disease. A few years ago, it was thought that its symptoms; Inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness disappeared with age. Undine Lang, director of the adult clinic of university psychiatric establishments in Basel, indicates:

However, an absence of treatment in adults can have considerable consequences on professional and private life. Among them: an increase in the risk of road accidents. The probability of suffering from mental disorders is also much more important.

Chaos in the head: a very widespread feeling in people with ADHD.Image: Getty

Blatant differences between the cantons

The higher the ADHD in adults has been publicized, the more demand for diagnosis and treatment has increased. The prescription of adult drugs has thus increased sharply: it has been multiplied by 2.5 in ten years in Switzerland. While in 2015, there were 2.3 daily doses for 1000 adults, this figure increased to 5.8 in 2023.

And the cantonal differences are striking: according to the Swiss Atlas of Health Services, Basel-Ville comes first with 9.1 daily doses per 1000 adults, seven times more than Ticino, which ends in last position with 1.3 doses. Should we conclude that Ticino treats too little, or the other cantons treat far too much?

The answer is complex. It is estimated that 2 to 3% of adults suffer from ADHD. But the fact that they get cared for depends on multiple factors.

According to the Cantonal Ticino doctor Giorgio Merlani, the low frequency of prescription for ADHDD medication in the canton has already been established. It notes the existence of a north-south ditch that is found at the continent: the European countries in the North tend to tend to prescription rates much higher than those of the South. He declares:

Curiously, Basel-Ville also does not see a reason to worry. For the Department of Health:

Zug, third in the ranking, reports a level of prescription comparable to that of his neighbors, Zurich and Argovie. “Nothing abnormal therefore, in our opinion”.

Less stigma in the city

These disparities around ADHD do not surprise the psychiatrist undine Lang. She explains that stigma is less strong in an urban environment, which facilitates access to psychiatry:

At the same time, cities have more risk factors: migration, loneliness, high performance injunction. Epidemiological studies show that psychic diseases develop more in cities like Geneva or Basel, and ADHD is no exception to the rule.

A cultural question

But in Ticino, it is also culturally that it seems to be playing. According to experts, there is a greater tolerance for typical ADHD behavior. This results in lower prescription rates, although, according to the latest confederation report on mental health, 6.9% of the Ticino population declares to present symptoms of ADHD. By way of comparison, this figure is 5% in German -speaking Switzerland.

The fact that the symptoms lead to a diagnosis therefore also depends on the search for help by the persons concerned. Undine Lang explains:

But that does not always lead to taking medication. Those against ADHD certainly count among the most effective in psychiatry, underlines the expert. But behavioral therapy also works, in particular in the least serious cases. According to the doctor, the decisive factor remains suffering, which strongly depends on living conditions, in particular on professional or family requirements.

When should you treat?

The use of drugs is emblematic many treatments in Switzerland, for which we observe marked differences between the regions. This is precisely what Stefan Essig Studies, doctor and epidemiologist at the Lucernois Research Institute and Epidemiologist, as part of a project in collaboration with cantons and health professionals. The objective: to determine the origin of these differences and if they are justified on the medical level.

However, this information would be precisely essential to assess whether there is under or above. “You have to know if it’s worth it,” adds the specialist. We can only talk about appropriate care if treatment has real health benefit and takes into account patient preferences.

So far, explains Stefan Essig, only a few isolated initiatives have been taken to examine these more in -depth correlations. But the pressure increases:

(Translated and adapted by Valentine Zenker)

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