Why are courts now full of offenders claiming to suffer from ADHD, asks sheriff

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A Sheriff has questioned the number of offenders claiming to suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Sheriff Paul Haran says he’s told ‘on an almost daily basis’ that young people in the dock could be suffering from the condition known as ADHD.

He added: ‘The entire population of 19-25-year-olds seems to be suspected of having ADHD at the moment.’

His comments came as 21-year-old Callum Forsyth appeared for sentence after admitting drugs charges.

Police seized £62,000 worth of cannabis sweets - known as edibles - and 4.7kg of herbal cannabis, valued at £27,000, from his home in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, in October 2023.

Airdrie Sheriff Court heard the drugs were recovered after police searched several buildings at Riggend Farm where Forsyth’s family run a bed and breakfast business.

Defence lawyer Frank McAuley said his client has mental health and addiction issues and became involved in the supply chain after running up a drug debt.

He added: ‘It’s suspected that he suffers from bipolar disorder, autism and ADHD.’

Sheriff Paul Haran said the 'entire population of 19-25-year-olds seems to be suspected of having ADHD at the moment'

Forsyth appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court, where he admitted to drugs charges

Sheriff Haran said he was ‘astonished’ to read in a criminal justice social work report that Forsyth’s parents are giving him £200 a week to spend on cannabis so that he can ‘cope’.

He asked: ‘How much more of a lesson does he need before he realises that he needs to give up his cannabis use?

‘These are serious offences for which the starting point is custody.

‘If he was a bit older he would be going to jail, no doubt about it.’

Forsyth was instead placed under social work supervision for two years and must complete 300 hours of community work.

The sheriff told him: ‘You’ve done nothing over the last two years to address your cannabis use.

‘It beggars belief that you are relying on your parents to fund your £200 a week habit - families with children expect to live off that amount of money.

‘I shall impose an alternative to custody but you can’t turn up stoned for your unpaid work.’

Last year the sheriff joked that the gardens of Scotland’s prisons must be ‘well-tended’ because of the number of Vietnamese cannabis growers being sent to jail.

The number of adults receiving an NHS prescription for ADHD increased seven-fold over the 10 years to 2023, recent figures showed.

Police seized tens of thousands of pounds worth of cannabis from Forsyth's home in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, in October 2023

Public Health Scotland found that more than 12,000 adults in Scotland taking medication for the condition, which has usually been associated with children.

Stimulants such as methylphenidate are the most commonly used medication for ADHD. Methylphenidate is known by a number of brand names, including Ritalin, Daytrana and Quillivant.

Almost 26,000 NHS patients were prescribed ADHD drugs in 2022/23. Of them, almost half were adults.

There had also been an increase in the number of children and young people aged 19 and under receiving medication for the condition.

In 2012/13, a total of 6,172 of those patients had a prescription for ADHD. That number stood at 13,722 in 2022/23.

The symptoms of ADHD can include a difficulty concentrating and focusing, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.