Today, there is a growing number of private actors performing ADHD and autism assessments. In their advertising, they highlight such things as short waiting times, quick results, and the possibility of conducting the assessment entirely or partially online.
The price can range from 10,000 kronor to over 30,000 kronor. Sometimes, they also promise to refund the money if no diagnosis is made, according to the Minister of Health and Social Affairs.
We need to ensure that healthcare is provided by serious actors, not fortune seekers who mislead people into seeking answers in individual diagnoses, says Forssmed.
"Large quantity"
Exactly how many private companies are involved, Forssmed cannot say:
But it's a large quantity of companies. It's not negligible.
Nor can Sven Bölte, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Karolinska Institute, say how widespread the problem is.
But the market wouldn't exist if there weren't queues. It's a side effect of the regular healthcare system not being able to offer all those seeking an assessment within a reasonable time.
"Not to ban"
Now, the Agency for Healthcare and Social Services Analysis has been tasked with mapping and analyzing the risks associated with privately funded healthcare. In addition, the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (Ivo) will conduct a targeted supervision effort in the area.
The idea is not to ban companies from operating, but rather to ensure that they comply with the laws and regulations we have for providing healthcare, says Forssmed.
Ivo will decide which companies to review and has several tools at its disposal.
It can involve different types of requirements for companies, it can involve fines, and naturally, it can also involve shutting down operations, says Forssmed.
More and more receive a diagnosis
He says that he understands that people "in desperation" turn to private companies due to long waiting times in regular healthcare.
But we see great risks. The indications that diagnoses are made for payment have consequences for healthcare. You may not be able to trust these diagnoses. You may also miss other problems that the person may have.
More and more people in Sweden are receiving an ADHD diagnosis, and Sweden stands out in global statistics. Today, around 10 percent of boys have an ADHD diagnosis – a proportion that the National Board of Health and Welfare believes will increase to 15 percent before the trend levels out.
We don't see any tendency for the trend to slow down, says Jakob Forssmed.
In 2023, the National Board of Health and Welfare reported that the proportion of children and young people with ADHD diagnoses had increased by almost 50 percent in just three years.
One in ten boys (10.5 percent) and one in fifteen girls (around 6 percent) between 10-17 years old have an ADHD diagnosis.
The proportion is expected to increase to 15 percent for boys and 11 percent for girls before the trend levels out.
ADHD is also consuming resources within child and adolescent psychiatry (bup), where 70 percent of all doctor's visits today involve ADHD diagnoses.
No definitive causes for the increasing number of diagnoses have been identified.
Source: National Board of Health and Welfare
