ADHD is searched for more frequently than depression and anxiety, according to a new study that analysed search data for common health concerns in the UK.
The research, which was conducted by the team at Key Opinion Leaders, examined which health concerns were the most searched for in the UK, by combining Google searches for common health concerns with searches for each health concern’s symptoms as well as treatment.
They found that Google searches for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were significantly higher than that for the common mental health concerns, anxiety, and depression.
Over the past 12 months, there were 335,200 combined searches each month for ADHD, ADHD symptoms, and ADHD treatment on average in the UK. Equivalent searches for anxiety, anxiety symptoms, and anxiety treatment totalled 179,500 monthly searches, while searches for depression proved to be even lower, at 149,500 searches per month on average.
| Health concern | ‘Health concern’ monthly searches | ‘Health concern + symptoms’ monthly searches | ‘Health concern + treatment’ monthly searches | Total monthly searches |
| Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) | 187,700 | 144,100 | 3,400 | 335,200 |
| Anxiety | 102,000 | 73,000 | 4,500 | 179,500 |
| Depression | 98,000 | 50,000 | 1,500 | 149,500 |
These combined searches for ADHD were found to be 86.7% higher on average than equivalent searches for anxiety, and a staggering 124.2% higher than searches for depression.
In fact, across the three search variations, the only time ADHD didn’t come top was ‘ADHD treatment’, which received slightly fewer searches than ‘anxiety treatment’.
Is ADHD on the rise, or are we simply becoming more informed?
Key Opinion Leaders spoke with Educational Psychologist, Dr Kavita Solder, about possible explanations behind this apparent increase in ADHD-related search queries.
“There has been a rise in diagnoses of ADHD amongst children and adults in recent years, in part due to the rise in people’s awareness of the label,” Dr Solder says.
“Amongst the general population, with the help of social media, there has been a push towards raising awareness of mental health and associated conditions. In the past, a diagnosis of ADHD often had a negative stigma attached to it. Thankfully there has been a shift in attitude, most noticeably with younger generations and their acceptance to embrace difference.”
Could short-form content be affecting our attention span?
Dr Solder goes on to add, “Platforms such as TikTok and the reels function on Instagram, promote time-limited videos encouraging young people to concentrate for short periods. It also enables them to swipe endlessly through videos should the one they are watching not capture their attention.
“Research has suggested that young people’s development of attention is shifting, and not necessarily for the worse. Unlike older generations that might have watched more lengthy television programs with limit over choice, young people have a vast amount of entertainment at their fingertips through smartphones and tablets. Therefore, we are becoming better accustomed to switching our attention between things.
“To use a technology analogy, our brain is adapting to tend to multiple items, switching between tabs and windows instantaneously. So whilst the attention span may be shortening, there are advancements being made in multi-faceted attention.
“People have become increasingly concerned with their noticeably short attention spans and with medications such as Methylphenidate more readily available, and in some cases even encouraged on social media platforms, adolescents and adults are seeking advice, intervention, and diagnosis more than ever.”
Which are the UK’s most searched health concerns?
ADHD ranked as the third most searched-for health concern in the UK, behind COVID-19 and Norovirus. For comparison, ‘anxiety’ ranked 18th and ‘depression’ ranked 30th. The UK’s ten most searched-for health concerns are listed below:
The UK’s 10 most searched-for health concerns
| # | Health concern | Health concern searches (UK) | Health concern + symptoms searches (UK) | Health concern + treatment searches (UK) | Total monthly searches (UK) |
| 1 | COVID-19 | 1,206,000 | 994,000 | 9,700 | 2,209,700 |
| 2. | Norovirus | 491,000 | 38,000 | 3,400 | 532,400 |
| 3. | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) | 187,700 | 144,100 | 3,400 | 335,200 |
| 4. | Chicken pox | 283,000 | 24,000 | 15,000 | 322,000 |
| 5. | Shingles | 264,000 | 39,000 | 9,600 | 312,600 |
| 6. | Tonsillitis | 247,000 | 37,000 | 14,000 | 298,000 |
| 7. | Fibromyalgia | 202,000 | 32,000 | 4,400 | 238,400 |
| 8. | Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) | 117,000 | 99,900 | 20,800 | 237,700 |
| 9. | Monkey pox | 165,000 | 55,000 | 900 | 220,900 |
| 10. | Multiple sclerosis (MS) | 162,000 | 50,800 | 2,600 | 215,400 |
| Health concern | ‘Health concern’ monthly searches | ‘Health concern + symptoms’ monthly searches | ‘Health concern + treatment’ monthly searches | Total monthly searches |
| Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) | 187,700 | 144,100 | 3,400 | 335,200 |
| Anxiety | 102,000 | 73,000 | 4,500 | 179,500 |
| Depression | 98,000 | 50,000 | 1,500 | 149,500 |