One in 10 U.S. Kids Diagnosed With ADHD: Report
By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- About 11 percent of school-age children in the United States -- and 19 percent of high-school-age boys -- have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
The figures show that about 6.4 million children aged 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives, a 16 percent rise since 2007 and a 53 percent increase over the past decade, The New York Times reported Sunday.
Also, about two-thirds of kids with a current diagnosis of ADHD take prescription drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin, which can improve the lives of patients, but may also lead to addiction, anxiety and even psychosis, the report said.
The data could add to growing concern among many doctors that the ADHD diagnosis and its drug treatments are overused in American children, according to The Times.
For its story about ADHD rates, the newspaper analyzed raw data from a wider CDC study of children's health issues. It included more than 76,000 parents nationwide who were interviewed from February 2011 to June 2012.
"Those are astronomical numbers. I'm floored," Dr. William Graf, a pediatric neurologist in New Haven, Conn., and a professor at the Yale School of Medicine, told The Times.
"Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily, which goes well beyond the disorder and beyond the zone of ambiguity to pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy," he added.
Another expert agreed. "The marked increase in the number of youth diagnosed with ADHD is undoubtedly due to a multitude of factors. Regrettably, the results from this study do not allow us to identify a single cause, and one has to resist the temptation to lay blame on any one single factor," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park.
He added, "To the extent that problems with inattention, impulsivity, and restlessness can vary wildly in severity, it is likely that the increased number of children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD reflects a greater number of youth with mild problems being diagnosed and treated."
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- About 11 percent of school-age children in the United States -- and 19 percent of high-school-age boys -- have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
The figures show that about 6.4 million children aged 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives, a 16 percent rise since 2007 and a 53 percent increase over the past decade, The New York Times reported Sunday.
Also, about two-thirds of kids with a current diagnosis of ADHD take prescription drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin, which can improve the lives of patients, but may also lead to addiction, anxiety and even psychosis, the report said.
The data could add to growing concern among many doctors that the ADHD diagnosis and its drug treatments are overused in American children, according to The Times.
For its story about ADHD rates, the newspaper analyzed raw data from a wider CDC study of children's health issues. It included more than 76,000 parents nationwide who were interviewed from February 2011 to June 2012.
"Those are astronomical numbers. I'm floored," Dr. William Graf, a pediatric neurologist in New Haven, Conn., and a professor at the Yale School of Medicine, told The Times.
"Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily, which goes well beyond the disorder and beyond the zone of ambiguity to pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy," he added.
Another expert agreed. "The marked increase in the number of youth diagnosed with ADHD is undoubtedly due to a multitude of factors. Regrettably, the results from this study do not allow us to identify a single cause, and one has to resist the temptation to lay blame on any one single factor," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, in New Hyde Park.
He added, "To the extent that problems with inattention, impulsivity, and restlessness can vary wildly in severity, it is likely that the increased number of children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD reflects a greater number of youth with mild problems being diagnosed and treated."
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