E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSIn just 10 years the number of children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, rose dramatically, a large new study suggests.
Overall, about 5 percent of nearly 843,000 kids ages 5 to 11 were diagnosed between 2001 and 2010 with the condition that can cause impulsive behavior and trouble concentrating. But during that time, rates of new ADHD diagnoses skyrocketed 24 percent – jumping from 2.5 percent in 2001 to 3.1 percent in 2010.
That’s according to a comprehensive review of medical records for children who were covered by the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health plan. Rates rose most among minority kids during the study period, climbing nearly 70 percent overall in black children, and 60 percent among Hispanic youngsters, according the study published in JAMA Pediatrics. Among black girls, ADHD rates jumped 90 percent.
Rates remained highest in white children, climbing from 4.7 percent to 5.6 percent during the study period.
The biggest factor driving this increase may be the heightened awareness of ADHD among parents, teachers, and pediatricians, says the study’s lead author Dr. Darios Getahun, a scientist with Kaiser Permanente. For kids who need help, that’s a good thing, Getahun says.
“The earlier a diagnosis is made, the earlier we can initiate treatment which leads to a better outcome for the child,” he says.
Unlike previous studies in which researchers relied on reports from parents and teachers to say whether a child had ADHD, the new study tracked kids who were diagnosed according to ADHD medical codes entered by child and adolescent psychiatrists, developmental and behavioral pediatricians, child psychologists and neurologists.
ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorders. Experts estimate that anywhere from 4 percent to 12 percent of school-age children are affected, many of whom continue to suffer from the disorder into adulthood.
Rates of diagnosis in the new study were greater in families with higher incomes, with nearly three-quarters of kids with ADHD coming from families that earned more than $50,000 a year.
“Higher rates of ADHD observed in affluent, white families likely represent an effort by these highly educated parents to seek help for their children who may not be fulfilling their expectations for schoolwork,” Getahun and his co-workers write.
Boys still outnumber girls 3 to 1 in ADHD diagnoses, but the gap appears to be closing among black girls.
“The increasing rate of ADHD among girls is an interesting finding and could represent an effort by parents to get more help for their daughters,” the authors say.
There was no change in the rate among Asian kids, but Getahun suspects this may have something to do with culture. Asians, as a rule, have been less likely to use mental health services and are more likely to discontinue therapy despite having equal access to care, Getahun says.
A child development specialist unaffiliated with the new study says he suspects that increased awareness of ADHD may have contributed to the increasing rate of diagnosis.
“Heightened professional awareness in general and improved efforts to detect ADHD exert an influence, but we cannot tell the magnitude of that,” says Alan Kazdin, the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology and Child Psychiatry at Yale University.
With all the coverage of the condition in the media, parents and teachers now have a better sense of what signs to look for, Kazdin says.
“Heightened awareness in the media, by parents and by teachers, too, may play a role. A child who in previous years just was said not to be able to control himself might now be more finely described.”
Related stories:
- Childhood ADHD may limit adult achievements
- ADHD overdiagnosed in youngest kids in class
- Number of women on ADHD meds soars
Leave a Comment:
There is no human condition in the world that a huge pharmaceutical company hasn't found an expensive, regularly prescribed dosage for.
ADHD my happy butt.
It's just a diagnoses for losers and parents that want an excuse.
Sure - we had ADHD before - but we were allowed to DISCIPLINE our children then - and not worry about CPS every time we did it. Now - you get a time out...really?
Children should live in respect and fear of their parents - do right by your parents, no worries - do wrong - and meet the rath. It's worked for SO many generations - that somehow didn't have ADHD.
Sorry - I am a little old school. Children should respect their parents and suffer the consequences when they do wrong - if a time out fixes the issue, great, however - if a child needs PHYSICAL discipline - so be it.
Nope, I was never beat as a kid - but I lived in fear of it. I was physically disciplined though - and I learned. There is NOTHING wrong with disciplining a child - if it is by words, great, by a time out - great - by a swat, great - by physical discipline, to include beating, great - whatever is the LEAST means necessary to correct behavior.
Seems that CPS will show up at your door if you give your child an angry look..... I don't have kids. Wish I did - they would be the most cherished - loved - important things in my life - and it would HURT me to correct them - but I would - and in whatever means that was NEEDED.
ADHD...yeah. Sure.
There are numerous ways to discipline a child that don't involve "time out" or spanking. It doesn't have to be either or. For example, my son who has ADHD and is a very high functioning autistic, has privleges removed - and not just for a short time, but he has to earn them back. This works well for him - he doesn't want to lose his 30 minutes of TV or video game time a day (that's all he's allowed, and he's only allowed appropriate shoes/games). So, he behaves, if he misbehaves he understands it's going to take several days to earn them back. He knows if he leaves his toys out, he will not be allowed to play with them until he earns them back. He knows if he doesn't complete his homework, he's not allowed to play until the work is done. He has a very set schedule, and is consistently disciplined for his infractions. I do not spank him as spanking him only makes him angry and he dosn't learn from it. It's not that I'm opposed to spanking (afterall, there is a difference between spanking and abuse), it's that, for him, it doesn't work.
No child should live in fear of being beat. Living in fear of being beat is abusive. Heck, my parents used spanking occasionally, if necessary, I never feared being spanked. I never feared my parents in anyway.
btw, ADHD isn't simply a kid misbehaving. It's beyond the normal level of hyperness, impulsivity and lack of focus - it's so pervasive that they cannot function in two of more places (such as school and home). I do agree that medication should be an absolute last resort and even if used, should be paired with non-medication treatments. My son describes not having his medication as not being able to prioritize the stimuli - everything gets equal attention, whether it be the seam in his sock, the fly that buzzed across the room, the classmate asking the teacher a question, the math worksheet in front of him. Having the very low-dose of medication he gets for his ADHD allows him to prioritize the stimuli. He's not a zombie - he's very much an active little boy even on his medication.
I do think there are kids that are labeled ADHD that don't have ADHD. I do think there are some kids that simply aren't disciplined. Yes, kids with ADHD need a very strict schedule (at least most of them do), they do need very consistent discipline (just like any kid - but, they often need more redirection than the average kid). However, discipline, in and of itself, isn't enough to cure true ADHD; a consistent schedule, in and of itself, isn't enough to cure ADHD. There are non-medication therapies and tools that can work for some ADHD kids, for some of them, they need the right medication at the right dose.
Summer, disagree with your feelings on spankings (beatings are different) some kids do need the extra motivation of fear. Being fearful of spankings when you misbehave is some kids only motivation to behave. If spanking only makes him angry then your being a pansy about it, put some muscle into it. Again not all kids are the same and people need to be aware that not all children need spankings but some do.
square dude: My son has had to be in holds - it's due to the behaviors associated with with autism. It's been a little over a year since I had to do that. Believe me, the holds take more muscle than spanking does. After a hold, if done properly, a child actually can feel more secure - of course, their reason for needing a hold isn't that they are being "bad", instead, it's that they are out of control and need someone to physically help them gain control. It's not that I'm being a pansy - it's because of his particular issues that make spanking not work for him. As you said, not all kids are the same - don't assume that just because spanking doesn't work with my son means that I did it wrong.
I absolutely disagree about the fear aspect. As I said, I'm not against spanking if it works - there is a difference between spanking and beating a child. However, having a kid fear their parents is always a bad thing. It sets up issues of lack of trust - and that can hurt a child in the long run much more than the spanking ever did.
My nephew was identified by the school as being ADHD. He is 8, extremely athletic and extremely smart. (reads on a sixth grade level and watches the morning news - TODAY - every morning) He is a normal healthy little boy...and therein lies the problem. Teachers want boys with heathly imaginations and energy to act like girls and it just ain't happenin'. The wanted to say that he had ADHD because at the end of recess he ran down into the hall. We asked him if they line up to re-enter the school and he said "no". (teacher confirmed it). They just open the doors to this looong, wide hall. I coulda told them he was gonna take off tearing down that thing all day and twice on Sunday.
We have no problems controlling his behaviour at home or church. It's just at school where they are in a dither if they have to correct behaviour.
We have run into sooo many parents of son's who say this same thing. I think it is a boy bias.
This is rather humerous. My stepson really did have ADD.
It was caused by dislexia. Now they group ADD and ADHD together.
Some kids are just not meant to be Rhode Scholars especially at a young age.
He didn't much care for school when it came to anything mechanical he was a wiz.
I was able to get him through school with a little TLC.
He was no where near at the top of his class but, he got by.
My next door neighbor's kids could have been diagnosed with
ADHD . The two boys aged 3 and 6 were throwing leaves in their babysitter's hair
while the mother was just watching. Within minutes I had two rakes and a yard waste bin and the three of us were cleaning up the leaves. ADHD my azz.
The neighbor across the street has a 4 year old the father said was his ADHD child.
The kid never gets out of the house of course he is going to have too much extra energy.
My grandson who I helped raise is behind in School. His mother who is well educated keeps on getting him tested. It couldn't possibly have to do with her ignoring him while on the smartphone or watching all her recorded programs at a high decibal level ?
I have never had to ask him twice to do anything. I have no problem teaching him anything and always kept him on a strict schedule. Children need structure not drugs.
Since he is not my son I have limited control over him.
No offense to the learned professionals in the mental health field I think you need to start going back to basics and quit letting Capitalism make your decisions for you.
Hippcratic oath ? remember that ?
In 34 years of teaching, I had 5 MEDICALLY hyperactive (ADHD) children. How is it possible that "recognition and better diagnosis" is the reason there are so many more ADHD diagnosed children? There's also an uptick in the number of children who are labeled Oppositional Defiant Behavior. Is that due to the same reasons? Couldn't it be because, as studies have shown, extended exposure to televison, video games, computers, etc. prior to the age of five changes their brains and causes hyperstimulation?
I know that parents don't want to accept that because it is so easy to use contemporary electronics to entertain children. But any teacher who taught during the sixties, seventies, and even early eighties, prior to the advent of television programming specifically directed toward children and the coming of video games can describe the phenomenal change in the attention span of nearly ALL students. This change is not due to a sudden "awareness" of ADHD!
How about finding the CAUSE? It couldn't possibly be all the chemicals and hormones pumped into our processed foods, could it? Nah, that stuff is perfectly safe - after all, we've been consuming it for decades and look how well we're doing.
That's only part of the probelm, but you're on to something. Kids now days are becoming obese which causes obstructive sleep apnea, which causes sleep deprivation and deficit. Kids who have apnea have the exact same symptoms of ADHD
Lets breakdown in laymens terms what ADHD is. Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder. Ok parent here we go.
(1) Attention Deficit... Try taking an interest in what your child does or they will act up on some way to get your attention.
(2) Hyper... Make your child get off the computer and video game and thier lazy backsides and go outside for some chores or sports.
(3) Disorder.. We as a society have failed as well as the parents. Whatever happen to "It takes a tribe to raise and indian" We have given our rights to be responsible parents to the goverment and if we dont follow the goverment guidelines on how to raise a child we all face harsh penalties. The children know this and will use this against us.
Think about it, in the last 20 years ADHD has become an issue. Is it the drug companies trying to sell more product? Is it the food we give our children? Is it the goverment and schools systems fault? No... It's YOU AS THE PARENTS FAULT and nobody else... SO get some balls and do the right thing and raise a respectful, caring and hard working American. Instead of coming up with more excuses of why you child is a ADHD Douche Bag.
We as Americans need to step up and take responsibility. It's Ok to say your child is not the "Winner" that all of society has told them they are .
It's all the Parent's wanting Adderall not the kids with ADHD.
Yep! Great medical profession we have nowadays, if they can't figure it out, it's ADHD! It's not that at all, it's FLAT OUT LAZINESS IN THE KID AND LACK OF PARENTAL DISCIPLINE in probably 90% of cases.
My son does in fact have ADHD, well researched, documented and diagnosed in his case, improved dramatically with medication, and is doing pretty well in school. He doesn't let it get him down and strives to be better.
Now, if I could just get him to clean his room... :-))
The federal pot of money that funds these parents desire to suck on the govt tit is going to run out in 18 months, dont expect congress to add a dime to this program. Either the program reduces the amount to each kid or they will have to tighten up the requirements for getting benefits.
"Diagnosed" is the key word here, I think doctors & parents these days are far too likely to resort to medication to solve a problem that is likely socially based. Parents need to set boundaries for their children, I've seen too many kids who get their way whenever they throw a tantrum. When your kid isn't doing their homework, pull the plug on the electronics until they do. When they throw a tantrum, park their butt in chair until they stop. I'm not saying that there aren't some kids who genuinely need medication, but MANY of the kids who are diagnosed with ADHD don't need it.
there are children who are ADHD, but there are also children who never run around, go outside to play and don't get out that energy that kids naturally have. but when they don't do what their parents want them to, off to the doctor they go and on the meds. i have to wonder how many of these kids are actually just in need of having their parents play with them until they get tired.
ADHD-disbelievers and Flat Earth Society Members, listen up:
There really IS such a thing as ADHD, and it's not just "kids being kids" - HOWEVER...
Before I get to the "however", let me relate a personal tale. My son has ADHD, though not extreme. For him his symptoms are an inability to sit still for any length of time, and a hard time focusing on any single task. I abhor "maintenance" medications, and generally distrust Big Pharm in general, so our first approach at dealing with his condition was a homeopathic one - teas, herbal supplements, and accupressure. This simply did not provide any sort of relief.
So after a few months, it was off to the doctors, and bring-on-the-meds. Of course, the first round of meds created side effects worse than the symptoms. Sure, he could sit still and yes, he could focus on tasks like reading and completing homework assignments. But the trade off was he couldn't sleep well through the night, had very little appetite, and on the weekends, when he wasn't medicated at all, he was explosive to the point I would check under beds and in closets for alien pods.
Back to the doctors we went, several times, until we finally found a medication that did not have the detrimental side effects, but would provide him the relief even he recognized he needed - what else can one do with a child who tells you "Mom, Dad, I just can't sit in school and read or work on my assignments, even when I try."?
So, let me offer up a new breakdown:
Attention Deficit: The inability to focus on a task
Hyperactivity: Excessive energy, resulting in uncontrollable behaviors, such as figeting, running when inappropriate, tapping, shaking, or talking, beyond what would normally be expected of children.
Disorder: A malady of treatable symptoms, but lacking a definitive cure.
Now, about that "However"... since it was all in caps, it must be important, and it is....
I do believe ADHD is over-diagnosed. Our school systems, especially public school systems do not want, are not trained, and are largely unwilling to deal with "kids acting like kids". After all, we've systematically stripped the teachers unions of any ability to really DO anything. Our teachers are badly underpaid, subject to potentially deadly work environments, and believe it or not, actually do do an incredible amount of work.
So anything that makes their jobs easier - like a room full of highly sedated kids is certainly desirable, for them at least.
And this is an issue we have fought with schools about many times - as our son does not require a "daily dose", as his ADHD is not particularly severe, as I've seen in other children - those who simply run through the house, yelling for no reason, moving from one activity to the next without ever completing any of them, and behaving in truly out-of-control ways.
The difference between ADHD and kids-just-being-kids is very obvious, though like I said, I do believe ADHD is a nice, convenient label often over-applied.
ADHD is a real diagnosis. However more kids are being mis diagnosed because the symtoms are also common is sleep disorders. Snoring and sleep apnea are very common in kids who are overweight or have enlarged tonsils and adenoids. These sleep disorders cause daytime sleepiness which in turn makes children hyperactive and less able to concentrate. I'm not saying that your child was misdiagnosed, but with the huge rise in obesity among children, this is a no-brainer that doctors are ignoring.
No chance for obesity - the first round of medications we tried kept him from gaining weight in the first place. And he's plenty active, playing 2-3 sports per season, and on the whole we tend to limit our intake of junk food.
And yes, I'm more than aware of the potential for mis-diagnosis - I'm always cautious when it comes to these sorts of things.
Some kids have higher energy levels and are more strong-willed than others. Children like this need structure and firm, consistently enforced limits. Unfortunately parents today are either so wrapped up in their own social lives, are lazy, don't want their child to not like them, or are afraid to harm their child's self-esteem that they refuse to properly parent. ADHD is probably real but the percentage of kids who do not do well with good parenting and require drugs is very tiny. I speak as a child development professional with 38 years experience in the field and the mother of an energetic, bright, physically active child whi is a successfull 22 year old college graduate.
@cheetah 822547 -- my thoughts exactly -- follow the money trail !!!!!!!!!!!
When our youngest was in grade school, the teachers tried to tell me he had ADD. It was a full out fight for a year with that school's principal and a few arrogant and lazy teachers. They fill out those "forms" blindfolded, said the psychologist we hired. Our youngest was not even borderline ADD. Disgusting. If he was on psychotropic drugs at the age of ten, he probably would not have arrived to where he is today, because that was one of the questions he was asked prior to consideration for an appointment he sought after high school. Turns out the school collected more money from the state if they have students with learning disabilitys or something like that.....Those teachers were not psychiatrists or psychologists and had NO business hounding me to medicate my son or diagnosing my son at school. The psychologist was disgusted as he saw the school do this over and over again. I wanted the school investigated. NEVER medicate unless it is true and necessary, parents. It can seriously impair their future, and God knows what else, if incorrectly prescribed.Little boys especially are not designed to sit still all day for lazy teachers who look for the bad instead of the good.
I had the same problem with my daughter when she was about that age. One of her two teachers thought she had what was then called ADD. The other teacher was the mother of an ADD child and convinced me that she did not have it. I think the whole thing is just subjective opinion.
ADHD is innaccurately diagnosed in the vast majority of cases. I work in a sleep disorders center where children are diagnosed with sleep problems such as obstructive sleep apnea. Kids who do not sleep properly are sleepy during the day. When children are sleepy they run around trying to stimulate themselves to stay awake. We have all seen this behavior right around bedtime. They also have trouble concentrating as anyone would when sleepy. The cause of obstructive sleep apnea is more often obesity. Fat kids eating poorly and not getting outside to play for extended periods of time. With 2 income families and single parent families the kids health and life is put at risk.
Nice headline. The "24% jump" is an increase from 2.4% to 3.1%. This is still too high -- because what is called ADHD used to be called 'normal behavior." The entire ADHD industry is driven by doctors and insurance companies who get money by prescribing pills.
I'm glad that I'm apparently not in the minority with my immediate reaction to it being over-diagnosed. Certainly, behavorial conditions exist. I see bad behavior as the result of nothing to do with ADHD, but the effect of a whole host of dynamics involving choices kids have today being very different than when I grew up, cultural shifts, parenting absentia or just plain bad parenting, industries and disciplines creating yet another lucrative "cottage" industry etc...
Yeah, shove them meds at ya kids. They gotta be nice 'n' healthy when they grow up so they can properly wield a gun before shooting up a school somewhere.
I understand there are some kids who need to be medicated that have this condition. However, my personal experience with this is that they tried to say one of my sons had ADHD at about 8-9 years old. I met with teachers & school officials AND took my son to the doctor. The school was pushing me to medicate him, his doctor said he's perfectly fine. He is just a curious, active 8-9 year old. And when a subject doesn't 'interest' him he tends to get off task. Since when is that 'abnormal' or require medication?! He is a perfectly healthy, active (more relaxed than not now) 18 year old senior in high school. Getting good grades, active in sports and extracurricular activities. He is in the reserves to be a police officer and prepared to head to the police academy after reserves are over. I'm SO glad I didn't get pushed into medicating him by the school and stood my ground. My personal opinion is that his specific teacher and that school was over populated and the teachers couldn't handle their work load. I truly think it is way overdiagnosed!!
I'm glad you decided against medication too. After ten years of mind-altering drugs I wouldn't want anyone handing your son a gun. Nothing personal.
Wanna know the reason for this increase...two words...BIG PHARMA...period
You know as I read all that is going on, they come up with this ADHD, however, people are saying parents need to be parents, then if you lay a hand on your child here comes child services trying to take your child becuase you are trying to get them to act right!! It's a catch 22!!!! It's a two way street, but only one side of the street you can drive on. Now you have to deal with teachers in school that want to single out your child because he/she is being a NORMAL child!! I agree that parents need to be more involved in their kids life. Technology can be a good thing it can also be a bad thing. This is the generation that the future kids now face. I don't agree that kids need to be put on drugs to make them calm down...really...they say he learned to walk sooner talk sooner and is able to do things...wow I call that smart they doctors call it ADHD....Maybe its time to go back to the old way!!!!
Has anyone even thought of having their child tested for food intolerance and allergies?
My youngest daughter was throwing temper tantrums at 18 months - throwing herself on the floor, kicking and screaming. She was sick every month from the time she was a year old. Bronchitis, ear infections...and she was in antibiotics 2 weeks of every month for 6 months. Our pediatrician finally did a blood test to find out why she was getting sick every month. Her blood allergen count was 78 ppm - the normal count for a toddler was 15-17 ppm. Her immune system was so busy fighting the food allergies, there was nothing left to fight against viruses or bacterial infections.
We went to a pediatric allergist, and she went through horrendous poke-tests to see what was causing her allergen count to be so high. She was allergic to wheat, corn, yeast (these 3 are in almost everything she ate), beef, turkey, chocolate, peanuts and a lot more. We had to clean out her system so she ate only chicken, rice and fresh fruits and veggies for 6 weeks. She had had a rash on her back and that cleared up. Her cheeks were always red (we thought they were chapped because of the cold weather) and that cleared up. Most important, the temper tantrums stopped. It was like we had a different little girl at home.
Our pediatric allergist was doing a double blind study to test if children were being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD my mistake when it was really food allergies. He wanted my daughter to be part of the test, but I was pregnant with baby #4, lived 20 miles away and didn't have the time and couldn't afford the gas. He did this study for about 5-6 years, and his results showed that up to 55% of children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD had food allergies.
Most common - wheat, dairy and nuts. Wheat was the culprit with my daughter. She had physical symptoms with the other foods. As she got older, we introduced some of the foods back in her diet and she didn't have any more reactions. Wheat, however, affected her until she was 7-8 years old. She'd get cranky and have the attention span of a gnat when she ate wheat. I had to make all her cookies, breads, etc., with spelt and rice flour. I did this for church, Girl Scouts, when we traveled - I spent a LOT of time in the kitchen when she was younger!
We had so many people tell us that she had ADD/ADHD and we needed to get her on meds. When I explained that it was food allergies affecting her, most people looked at me like I was a clueless mom in denial.
She is now in her early 20's and has no adverse affects to any food she eats. She lives a happy, healthy life and is getting ready to graduation from college.
I wish more teachers, doctors and parents would look into food allergies before cramming Ritalin down these poor kids' throats.
I'm surprised that Dr. isn't being discredited by the AMA and FDA.
My son has severe ADHD, and is a very high functioning autistic child. Yes, he also has food allergies - peanuts, treenut, fish and shellfish. He also has a primary immune deficiency (he lacks IgG's and IgA's making him very susceptible to respiratory and GI infections). His diet is carefully monitored - no eating out, no processed foods, no refined sugars, and organic foods. He still has ADHD.
I'm glad your daughters symptoms were relieved by finding out her allergies - unfortunatley, it doesn't work for all kids.
Now, when it came to medications - they were a last resort and and not the only form of treatment we use for him.
These are all kids covered by an insurance company. Do a study of kids that are only covered by Medicaid. I'll bet you'll find a lot less diagnosed with ADHD. Doctors on the payroll of Pharmaceutical Companies are a lot more likely to make sure those drugs are going to kids who can afford them. Watch "Generation Rx". Excellent documentary about the overprescription of mind altering drugs to combat a disingenuous war on ADHD.
Like one of the first posters put it. "It's just kids being f*****g kids."
Anything to get parents to put their kids on meds and the US is all over it. Pop a pill and your woes go away...the American way!!