Personal injury and disability lawyers in Canada need to stay abreast of trends in health treatments and drugs paid by insurers, to be up to date on potential plaintiff concerns and anticipate defence lawyers’ actions.

Manulife reported recently that adult ADHD diagnoses are increasing. The insurer found a 24.5% annual increase in unique claimants for ADHD medication among people aged 18 plus. Among possible reasons that more adults were diagnosed in the past 5 years:

  • An increase in overall awareness of adult ADHD
  • Medical professionals have become more adept at recognizing the signs and symptoms.
  • Widespread adoption of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic might have contributed to the emergence of ADHD symptoms previously concealed by structured office settings.
  • Prevalence of social media posts discussing ADHD signs and symptoms prompted more people to consult their doctors.

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in Canada, according to the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance (CADDRA). It affects approximately 4% to 6% of adults and 5% to 7% of children, totaling around 1.8 million Canadians. Left untreated, ADHD can coexist with other mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, posing risk factors for various health issues, including heart disease and obesity.

We reported earlier about the increase in mental health issues and diagnoses. A recent study from Statistics Canada, entitled “Mental disorders and access to mental health care”, found that in 2022, more than 5million people in Canada met the diagnostic criteria for a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder. The study found the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder has doubled since 2012. “Canadians aged 15 years and older with a generalized anxiety disorder doubled from 2012 to 2022, from 2.6% to 5.2%. Similar increases were seen for the 12-month prevalence of major depressive episodes, up from 4.7% in 2012 to 7.6% in 2022, and bipolar disorders, which went from 1.5% to 2.1% over the same period.” The largest 10-year increases were seen among young people, particularly young women aged 15 to 24 years, for whom the prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder tripled while major depressive episodes doubled.

Like the Manulife report, Statistics Canada adds that some upward trends are related to COVID-19 stressors, but also the overall worsening of mental health among young people was observed well before 2020. The report further found that just under half of those with a mental health disorder received professional help. “Unmet needs for counselling or psychotherapy were higher than unmet needs for medication or information about mental health.”

Manulife also found the number of individuals claiming diabetes treatment grew 7.7% in 2021 and increased another 8.2% in 2022. Most claimants are over 35, but large increases are seen in the number of young people seeking diabetes treatment. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that almost 12 million Canadians (30% of all Canadians) live with diabetes or prediabetes, with about 90% being type 2 diabetes. Over 1.7 million people have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, according to the estimate.

GreenShield released their latest annual Drug Trends Report, which showed some similarities:

  • In 2022, the number of ADHD claimants grew by nearly 15%, with six of every 100 claimants now using ADHD medications.
  • Diabetes represented the second-largest share of drug costs within the top 5% of claimants. This is due to the high prevalence of the disease coupled with an escalating cost of treatment per patient.
  • Medications primarily used for asthma/COPD were claimed by 16% of claimants in 2022.
  • Migraines affected 2.3% (or 53,500) of GreenShield Administration claimants in 2022.

GreenShield also noted the COVID connection to anxiety and depression. The pandemic was a likely contributor to anxiety/depression claimant growth in 2020 and 2021, but this growth had largely slowed in 2022.

We have reported earlier on the prevalence and symptoms of Long Covid. A study published recently in Nature said that people with long COVID have specific biomarkers in their blood, specifically abnormal T cell activity and low levels of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol helps people feel alert and awake, explaining why people with long COVID often report fatigue.