People who suspect they have ADHD (attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity) will need to be patient for a diagnosis. Waiting times in many Swiss clinics stretch to months, sometimes more than a year. This is due to a pronounced increase in the number of requests for the diagnosis of a possible disorder and the lack of doctors specializing in the field.
The situation in psychiatric services in Aargau, where the number of requests in the children’s sector has more than doubled in seven years, clearly illustrates this trend. In Zurich, a transitional solution in the form of online discussion groups for young people has been offered since January, in the hope of relieving cantonal hospital services.
While requests for ADHD continue to rise, the number of medications for the disorder sold in Switzerland also speaks volumes: around 60,000 people received them in 2019. This figure rose to 92,000 for ‘last year.
Less stigmatized than in the past, these mental disorders have become “attractive” for some. “It is important not to use mental illness as an excuse, but also not to stigmatize it,” explains Stephan Kupferschmid, chief physician at the private clinic in Meiringen (BE). A reality that complicates the task of doctors who struggle to make a diagnosis. According to scientists, around 3% of adults suffer from the disorder in Switzerland.
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