The Directorate of Health
Revised guidelines on procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in children, adolescents and adults
19th May 2023
The Directorate of Health issued guidelines on the procedures for the diagnoses and treatment of ADHD in 2012 and a shorter version in 2014. The guidelines have now been updated and re-issued.
-Automatic translation
The revision has mostly been in the hands of Gísli Baldursson, Guðlaug Þorsteinsdóttir, Haukur Örvar Pálmasonar, Kristín Fjóla Reynisdóttir, and Unnur Jakobsdóttir Smári. Others have also contributed to this work.
When preparing the guidelines, the best scientific knowledge as well as recognized guidelines from other countries were taken into account. Guidelines from NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2018) were used in addition to guidelines from Sweden, Germany, and Canada.
The new guidelines are shorter and more focused than the older ones, flowcharts facilitate their use and new drugs have been introduced from the last publication. As before, emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary knowledge when diagnosing ADHD.
A special emphasis is on follow-up during treatment, but when stimulant ADHD drugs are used, it is important to maintain appropriate supervision and care must be taken not to use excessive doses. See: www.serlyfjaskra.is.
The Directorate of Health directs healthcare practitioners involved in diagnosing ADHD and deciding on treatment to follow these guidelines. The Directorate of Health will take these guidelines into account when monitoring pharmaceutical prescriptions.
The Medical Director of Health thanks all the people involved in the preparation of the guidelines for their good and thorough work.
More information:
Kjartan Hreinn Njálsson, Assistant to the Medical Director of Health
kjartan.h.njalsson@landlaeknir.is