The Effects Of Children With ADHD

As of 2011, approximately 11% or 6.4 million children ages four through seventeen have been diagnosed with a condition called ADHD. These numbers have continuously increased from 7.8% in 2003, 9.5% in 2007, and now to 11% in 2011. The numbers of children receiving medication to treat their ADHD has also continued to increase. The percentage of children ages four through seventeen taking these ADHD medications such as Adderall and Ritalin have gone from 4.8% in 2007, to 6.1% in 2011. These rising numbers have resulted in an over diagnosed condition among many children throughout the United States. Many doctors, parents, and schools turn to medications to treat ADHD because they believe it the best way to treat the condition. In reality, these medications are being overprescribed and given to children because their parents and teachers do not want to deal with their immature behaviors that usually come with being young. There are many other alternative treatments that can be combined to safely treat ADHD that cost less, and have fewer effects on these children into adulthood. (“Data &…”).

Doctors argue that when diagnosing a child with ADHD, it requires a process that has several steps. First, they must focus on looking at the symptoms and decide if there is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that hinders normal functioning and development. In order to consider a child inattentive, they must show six or more symptoms of inattentiveness if they are up to age sixteen, or five or more symptoms if they are age seventeen or older. These symptoms must be present for at least six months and be considered inappropriate for their developmental level. Some symptoms for inattentiveness include the inability ...

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...a halt (Cohen).

The controversy surrounding ADHD will most likely never be solved. With doctors handing out lifetime diagnosis’, which can result in effects all the way through adulthood, something needs to be done. The over prescription of mostly un-needed ADHD medication will only cause issues for children who are given these medications to moderate their behavior. Giving children who may not even have ADHD, medication as an easy treatment is not a solution to a behavioral condition that will last throughout their lifetime. The over prescription of medication is hindering the abilities and possibilities of children who do not truly need the medication. The number of individuals with ADHD continues to grow and while doctors continue to hand out prescriptions without a real evaluation, individuals on medication to control their behavior cannot be the only solution.