Alternet - The number of children and teenagers diagnosed with
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has increased remarkably over
the past decade, according to new data released by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. The rise in numbers, reported on by
the New York Times, has led some to say that the increase is due to
parent pressure on doctors and a loose definition of the disorder.
The data reveals that an estimated 6.4 million children aged 4 to 17
have received the diagnosis, which is a 16 percent increase from 2007.
The 6.4 million children diagnosed is also a 53 percent rise over the
last decade. Two-thirds of those diagnosed take stimulant medication
for the disorder like Ritalin and Adderall, which could lead to
anxiety, addiction and potentially psychosis. Nearly one in five high
school boys and 11 percent of all school-age children have ADHD, the
new data states.
William Graf, a pediatric neurologist from Yale University, told the
New York Times that the rise in those with the disorder was
"astronomical...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."
"There's a tremendous push where if the kid's behavior is thought to
be quote-unquote abnormal — if they're not sitting quietly at their
desk — that's pathological, instead of just childhood," said one
Harvard professor of medicine.
Read on at: http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/1-5-boys-now-diagnosed-adhd-are-we-overdrugging-our-kids