Finland has seen a dramatic rise in the number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) over the past decade.
Figures published earlier this year by public health authority THL showed that more than 11 percent of primary school age (7-12) boys had an ADHD diagnosis in 2023, a sharp increase on the proportion of just 3.3 percent registered in 2015.
The data also revealed startling regional discrepancies, with one in five primary school boys in North Karelia now diagnosed with the condition.
Furthermore, the spike in diagnoses has been accompanied by a surge in the prescribing of ADHD medication, leading to questions about how Finland is dealing with the sudden increase.
APN set out to discover the reasons behind these trends.
Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
"I think the most important factors are the big changes in kids' and teens' environments in recent years, such as more screen time, less physical activity and less sleep, and this evidently contributes a lot to the increase in ADHD diagnoses," THL chief physician Terhi Aalto-Setälä tells the show.
We also wrap up the rest of the week's headlines from Finland, as well as offering our weekly recommendation of what to watch on Yle Areena.
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Ronan Browne and Zena Iovino presented this episode of All Points North. The sound engineer was Mikko Kymäläinen.
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