Over-diagnosis and over-prescriptions of ADHD Currently America has an over prescription problem, this plagues all age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds. In young children the diagnosis of Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder also known as ADHD has rapidly increased. Because we live in world where so many need quick results, normal childhood behavior are now being mistaken for ADHD and other disorders. In this paper I will prove that ADHD is over diagnosed and overprescribed, especially in lower socio-economic groups. Having over medicated kids is not healthy and this trend needs to stop. ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders, however it is gravely misunderstood. According to the National Institute of Mental Health attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) starts in early childhood (average onset age is 7) and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity. Scientists are still not sure what causes ADHD, although some suggest that genes play a dominant role. Most likely it results from a combination of factors like environmental factors, brain injuries, nutrition, and the social environment. According to the NIMH some children with ADHD have thinner brain tissue in the areas of the brain associated with attention; however, as they grow up the tissue develops into a normal level of thickness. Environmental factors like having a mom who used cigarettes and alcohol while pregnant and kids who are exposed to high levels of lead are more prone to developing ADHD. Some scientists in Brittan have linked a higher consumption of food addictive like preservatives lead to a... ... middle of paper ... ... psychologist who might give the kids pointers on how to focus. Unfortunately treatments like this are very expensive and most medical insurances do not include therapy. Medications are also the fastest way for parents to see results in their unruly child. Ever since the FDA allowed companies to advertise directly to consumers we saw an increase in the ADHD rates as parents would see the advertisement, take their toddler and come back with very strong medications. To combat the problem of over prescription parents need to make a constant effort to be their child’s strongest advocate. Parents need to be well researched in this topic and decide whether or not it is worth it to medicate. They need to be able to properly take care of their child with alternative methods before turning to medication which a lot of doctors argue should be the last straw.
Interestingly, the symptoms of ADHD are just as varied as the causes of ADHD. Even so,
The internet is widely used with massive amounts of information at the tips of ones fingers. Kids Health is a website that has been around for almost twenty years. Having four sites in one, with sections for parents, kids, teens, and educators ensures them an audience of all ages and backgrounds. Kids Health, dedicated to providing the audience with wide prospective, factual advice, and comfort on a wide range of physical, emotional, and behavioral issues affecting children and teens (Health, 2012). Kids Health’s knowledge about ADHD is what will be under review seeing as how it is a growing concern in our young people. With such an extensive audience and an emotional topic, this website needs to be current, accurate, objective, extensively covered, and use proper authority with the information given.
ADHD is a disorder that has been on the rise for several years now. The disorder is one that can cause many impairments to a child’s attention span, making it difficult to concentrate and to keep on task, especially on schoolwork. (Graham, 2007) The statistics have been growing ...
A diagnosis found that out of the 15 percent of high-school age children who take ADHD pills, the true rate of children needing to be medicated is closer to 5 percent. This over-diagnosis and prescription is a direct result of intense, multi-million dollar marketing campaigns of ADHD medication by the drug makers, through celebrity ads as well print and television ads that prompt patients and their families to ask doctors about those specific drugs. And the tactic has paid off, with a quintupling of stimulant sales since 2002, to over $8 billion in revenues.
Stolzer, PhD, J. M. (2007). The ADHD Epidemic in America. Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, 9, 109-116.
Attention Deficit with hyper activity Disorder commonly known as ADHD is classified as a disruptive behavior disorder usually diagnosed in childhood. ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed behavior disorder of childhood. It appears to be more common in boys than it is girls. This Disorder is more common in boys than in girls and approximately five in one hundred children are affected (Busing). There are three subtypes: Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, predominantly inattentive, combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive (most children have the combined type of ADHD)(nimh.nih.gov).The age of onset of ADHD is usually in preschool to early elementary school years.
The following factors have not been supported by research as having an association with development of ADHD.
Koerth-Baker, Maggie. “The Not So-Hidden Cause Behind the ADHD Epidemic.” New York Times, New York Times Company. 15 Oct 2013. Web. 21 April 2014.
According to Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco’s chief medical officer, seventeen percent of total drug cost spending last year was for behavior medicines; compared with sixteen percent for both asthma and antibiotics, eleven percent for skin disorders and six percent for allergy medicines. There was also a 369% increase in spending on ADHD drugs for kids under the age of five. A lot of children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and many of their parents have opted to give them behavioral drugs. Some parents give the drugs because they are not aware of the long term effects or the psychological dependency, and lastly because they are not aware of the alternatives. As parents we have to be more cognizant of what these disorders are and how they affect the child. Drugs are not always the only solution.
Yet this is probably not the whole story. If, as seems possible, the incidence of ADD or ADHD is increasing, then factors other than the genetic
One of the most controversial parts of ADD/ADHD is how it is diagnosed, for one and as stated earlier there is no physical tests to confirm you have the disorder. Secondly, there is no established single cause and the existing method of assessment is not standardized meaning one psychiatrist may use a written test while others may depend on what parents and teachers say, and what one psychiatrist classify as ADHD another may not. Thirdly there are other problems, which can cause behavioral concerns such as dyslexia, hearing problems, family problems, depression and anxiety (Rutherfor...
The study found that children with ADHD tend to have higher blood-lead levels than children who do not have the disorder. Pediatricians in 2010 performed a similar study that found that children who had higher urine levels of organophosphate, a pesticide used on produce, had a higher rate to contract ADHD. Another study that was performed around the same time concluded that women with these same urine levels would have children who would contract the disease. Scientists at Candiff University suggest that children with ADHD are more likely to have missing or duplicated segments of DNA. Therefore, evidence strongly suggest that ADHD is passed down from the parents; not from their parenting style. Fetal exposure to alcohol and tobacco are thought to be apart of the reason ADHD is contracted. Children exposed to the smoke prenatally are 2.4 times more likely to contract the
Research has shown people “may have a greater likelihood of developing ADHD as a result of
The existence and diagnosis of ADHD has subjective nature because, as our book says, “No valid, independent test for ADHD exists.” The diagnosis for ADHD is quantified by doctors and psychiatrists who rely upon the observations and opinions of the people who care for the child being “evaluated”. Observations and opinions themselves are subjective because each person inevitably has their own personal biases and unique viewpoints which will lead them to define a child’s characteristics or behaviors in a certain way.
In addition, various research has been done on the effects of the child’s age upon entering the classroom. To research the effect age could potentially have on children, a study was done in British Columbia that focused on 930,000 children between the ages of 6 to 12, from the years 1997 to 2008. They found that those born in December, typically some of the youngest in the class, “were 30 percent more likely to be diagnosed and 41 percent more likely to be treated with ADHD medication that boys born in January” (Dotinga). The research also showed similar results for girls. Although, the article claims that the findings, “…don’t prove definitively that any kids are...