The societal implications of increasing prevalence of ADHD and autism

The neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) ADHD and ASD are early onset conditions that persists into adulthood in 75% of the cases, and is associated with academic, occupational and social function impairments.

Over the last decade, prevalences of ADHD and autism have increased threefold among young people in Sweden reaching over 15% in Stockholm.

Due to this rapid increase, the healthcare system and social support services face an immense challenge that will only grow larger within the next few years.Our network National Network for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NNNND) aim to investigate the rapid increase in prevalence of ADHD and autism and the consequences for society of this.

This task requires multi-disciplinary collaboration, why our members represent school, county, health care, social insurance board and family members of people with NDD.

We have expertise in psychiatry, psychology, epidemiology, heath care science, social work, pedagogics, philosophy, history and theory of science.

We will address the following questions:  The moving border between diagnosis and normal variationFactors influencing the increasing prevalenceConsequence for society’s resources and individual needsMapping of geographic and demographic differences in prevalence and access to health care to investigate health equityDescription of the experiences of NDD patients, care givers and health care professionalsThe network will have two physical meetings per year for three years and establish a digital platform for collaboration and communication.

Our activities include a series of workshops for bridge-building between research, school, healthcare and people with NDD and their families.

We will give lectures and courses, publish articles in relevant professional journals and participate in local and national meetings and communicate with relevant stakeholders.

Finally, we will identify questions that can be investigate scientifically and plan to apply for separate research project funding.