New research: ADHD costs society DKK 2.8 billion

The cost of untreated ADHD has been corrected to DKK 2.8 billion from DKK 3.6 billion stated in an earlier version of the article.

Untreated ADHD costs society DKK 2.8 billion a year, which is slightly less than DKK 150,000 per person. This price only represents individuals who were not diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood.

This is simply the estimated price when nothing has been done about the condition in a group that is so badly affected that the ADHD is discovered.

The head of the research team behind the study, which was conducted for the Rockwool Foundation Research Unit Professor Anders Sørensen, CBS Department of Economics and director of Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), believes that the cost is unnecessarily high.

- Our estimates apply to adults with ADHD who were not treated for the condition as children, which means they testify to what the individual and society loses if proper steps are not undertaken at an early stage.
According to our analysis, the reason for the high cost is not primarily the health care system. The biggest reason is that people with ADHD have significantly more difficulty finding employment and commit more criminal acts than average. This means that only one third of this group have a job.

A group of researchers from CBS, Aarhus University Hospital and the University of Nottingham conducted the study, which also shows that the disorder significantly effects the individual’s financial situation. On average, ADHD sufferers have DKK 4,000 less per month net than comparable individuals without ADHD.

Read the full study Private and Social Costs of ADHD: Cost Analysis

Read more about the Department of Economics or Centre for Economic and Business Research

All questions related to the analysis can be directed to professor Anders Sørensen or CEBR.