Not only children suffer from ADHD, adults are also prescribed medication for attention deficit disorders. Doctors say the drug helps many to lead a better life. Sometimes, however, there are other motives behind patients asking for a prescription.
Even as a small boy, Johannes Schulte was unable to concentrate well. At the age of eleven he was diagnosed with ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Schulte remembers the symptoms: «restlessness, lack of motivation and aggressive behavior.» At the time, Ritalin, a drug that has also been prescribed to adults for several years, calmed him down. Because the disease does not automatically go away with age.
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ADHD in adulthood rarely requires treatment
According to studies, around half of the affected children lose their ADHD symptoms as they grow up. The majority of the other half retain individual symptoms, but are not particularly restricted by this and are therefore not considered to be ill. Only about 1 to 2.5 percent of the population requires treatment for ADHD even in adulthood.
«Patients have difficulty concentrating on things that don’t promise a reward,» explains Andreas Reif, director of adult psychiatry at the University Hospital in Frankfurt. They are disoriented and leave things behind. Those affected often have problems at work, and many live in precarious conditions.
Ritalin – the most famous remedy
Physicians treat patients with the active substance methylphenidate, the most well-known agent is called Ritalin. «Patients report that they can concentrate for the first time in their lives,» says Reif. The drive for self-control increases, hyperactivity decreases. Many will have a “curtain taken away”. The doctor vehemently disagrees with the widespread accusation that Ritalin sedates patients.
How many people in Hesse suffer from the disease is not known – and therefore not how many adults are affected. According to an evaluation by IKK Südwest, the number of Ritalin prescriptions for adults in Hesse among IKK-insured persons increased more than fivefold between 2010 and 2016. IKK Südwest Managing Director Lutz Hager warns of «overmedication» and calls for a «keen eye».
The AOK registered exactly the opposite trend. In 2012, around 1,700 adults with AOK insurance in Hesse took Ritalin or the active substance atomoxetine (trade name Strattera) at least once a year, in 2016 there were only around 1,100.
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Expert warns of Ritalin abuse
Michael Grube, chief physician for psychiatry at the Klinikum Frankfurt Höchst, does not consider the figures from the health insurance companies to be meaningful: “It is a coincidence where you are currently so insured.” Grube also thinks it makes sense that more people are prescribed Ritalin – but he warns against abuse . «There are addicts who try to get the doctor to prescribe it for them,» says Grube. How common is Ritalin abuse? «There are quite a few,» says Grube. There are no hard numbers.
What makes jittery children calmer in low doses can have a drive-enhancing effect in healthy adults in higher doses, because methylphenidate is related to amphetamines and is classified as a narcotic. «Ritalin is often sold as speed in the scene,» reports the information portal drug-infopool. The drug «may cause hallucinations and exuberant euphoria.»
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At Klinikum Höchst, doctors consulted child and adolescent psychotherapists in suspected cases to find out whether the adult allegedly affected had ADHD as a child. In an emergency, a look at a school report can help: «Disrupts the lesson» is often written on the paper, says Grube.
Johannes Schulte is now 25 years old and only has a few memories of his time with Ritalin. It calmed him down and reduced aggression – but also triggered a loss of appetite, he says today. After two years he changed the drug, since he was 17 he has not been treated anymore. Relaxation techniques also helped. He has been serving in the German Armed Forces for a year. «I think I’m in good control of myself,» he says.