ADHD Treatment Prescriptions for Under-19s Surge 22% in a Year...Concerns over misuse ↑

Sep 12, 2025

ADHD Treatment Prescriptions for Under-19s Surge 22% in a Year...Concerns over misuse ↑
Source: Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, Rep. Mi-hwa Seo's Office Reprocessing



ADHD Treatment Prescriptions for Under-19s Surge 22% in a Year...Concerns over misuse ↑
Source: Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, Rep. Mi-hwa Seo's Office Reprocessing
Amid growing concerns over misuse as the treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is known as a study drug, the number of prescriptions has soared and side effects have reached hundreds, raising criticism about the gap in safety management for adolescent children and children.

According to data submitted by Rep. Seo Mi-hwa (Democratic Party of Korea), a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a total of 3,359,226 ADHD drugs were prescribed to patients under the age of 19 between 2022 and 2024. In the case of last year, 1,367,730 cases were confirmed based on prescriptions of benefits for treatment purposes, up 21.9% from a year ago.

A total of 278 side effects were reported during the same period. Of the 83 cases in which age information was confirmed, 56.6% (47 cases) of patients under the age of 19 accounted for more than half.




According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the main symptoms were ▲ decreased appetite (49 cases), ▲ insomnia (30 cases), ▲ zone and vomiting (21 cases), ▲ heart palpitations (12 cases), ▲ irritation sensitivity (7) ▲ tic (7 cases), ▲ headache (5 cases) ▲ dizziness (5 cases).

In addition, in terms of the characteristics of prescription patients, 78.6% of men and 26.8% of women were much more common, and by region, Seoul (25.4%) and Gyeonggi (25.2%) were concentrated in the metropolitan area.

ADHD treatments are originally used to worsen symptoms in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but as concentration improvement and academic achievement effects are known, demand among ordinary teenagers and adults is rapidly increasing, raising concerns about misuse.




Seo Mi-hwa said, `It is positive to improve awareness of ADHD treatment, but as prescriptions increase, it is necessary to create an environment in which patients who need it can be treated stably"In particular, the drug management system should be strengthened to reduce the misuse of drugs and to ensure that the public can be safely prescribed."."








This article was translated by Naver AI translator.