ADHD diagnoses on the rise

LogicSoDeveloped

LogicSoDeveloped

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ADHD diagnoses rose significantly in the last decade, according to surprising new data released Thursday.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a disorder usually diagnosed in childhood, is marked by impulsivity and problems paying attention, sitting still and concentrating. Children afflicted with ADHD who are untreated often have difficulties in school and home.

The survey, conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services' National Center for Health Statistics, found the percentage of children ages 5 to 17 ever diagnosed with the disorder rose from 7% to 9% from 1998-2000 through 2007-2009.

The upswing is surprising because during the same time period criticism mounted that children nationwide were being over-diagnosed with the condition. Moreover, concerns have been raised about the safety of medications to treat ADHD, such as a possible increased risk of heart-related problems linked to stimulant use.

The survey found ADHD diagnoses varied by race, ethnicity and region. Mexican children had lower rates of diagnosis than other groups. Rates increased to 10% in parts of the South and Midwest.

Earlier this week, scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse identified a specific dopamine receptor in the brain that appears to increase a person's risk of developing ADHD. The study was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
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Source: http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-adhd08182011,0,2764068.story

I posted this as it mentions ADHD medication, in case anyone wondered. I also mention this as I have suffered a lot of anxiety in the past from these meds. I took them for around 4 months until I started realizing how horrible they made me feel. I could focus but I starting being angry, having mood issues, anxiety issues, and problems I didn't before starting use of these. I like that this article brings attention to possible negative effects of over prescription of stimulants.
 
ADHD is excessively over-diagnosed. I was diagnosed with it because I was an asshole cuz I had no reason to do anything in school until 7th grade when I met some really fucking awesome kid. I didn't need medications and I went from 12-15 suspensions a year to like perfect student. I could probably turn it back on to get drugs though...

It really is a normal part of being a kid/teen to act like a complete fucktard, it's how we are. It doesn't need medication because it's not a condition. If a kid really gave two fucks about school, he'd pay attention.
 
have they changed any of the criteria for diagnoses in the dmsv or anything? i DO have to agree with "the network" -as he (so eloquently) has made a good point: "part of being a kid/teen is acting like a complete fucktard!" being a fucktard is most DEF part of being a kid...i also think there are probably a million other factors indirectly effect the whole thing...socio-economic ones, diet related stuff, just this fucking general decline in just about every facet of culture / society/ life....... no wonder kids are fucktards..lets not medicate the human condition- school blows-most kids aren't that thrilled with it..so we gotta give em drugs? -
 
The problem is that some kids do benefit from these medications. I had a friend who would just give me all of his ritalin because he wanted to feel hyper and not calm. Kids who have adhd will fall asleep from stimulants, like a paradoxical reaction. For these kinds of kids, stimulants may work wonders. For the rest of us, well we get cheap and easy access to amphetamines, I think it's a win-win situation except for the younger kids who get thrown on amphetamines because their parents aren't educated on the meds and neither are the schools.

Many kids just act out/have lots of energy and these kids should not be confused with the ones who just can't focus on one thing for an extended period of time. To complicate things, elementary/high school is soooo boring, maybe if they challenged students and didn't waste half of their time they wouldn't act out.
 
I've heard of many people 'diagnosed' and given psychostimulants sans preluding-analysis. Many are sliding off-track in life more often than not. (first prescribed, 5+ years ago)
 
@victor

Wow, watched it and in the first 3 minutes... a 6-year-old on antidepressants? Some people are so stupid. Antidepressants interact with EVERYTHING and often do more harm than good, especially to children.

And she medicates her whole family, handing out pills like free condoms... Idiot.
 
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It's no surprise when pharma is in control of the prescribing standards:

Abstract
Background: Increasing attention has been given to the transparency of potential conflicts of interest in clinical medicine and biomedical sciences, particularly in journal publishing and science advisory panels. The authors examined the degree and type of financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry of panel members responsible for revisions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) .

Methods: By using multimodal screening techniques the authors investigated the financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry of 170 panel members who contributed to the diagnostic criteria produced for the DSM-IV and the DSM-IV-TR.

Results: Of the 170 DSM panel members 95 (56%) had one or more financial associations with companies in the pharmaceutical industry. One hundred percent of the members of the panels on ‘Mood Disorders’ and ‘Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders’ had financial ties to drug companies.
The leading categories of financial interest held by panel members were research funding (42%), consultancies (22%) and speakers bureau (16%).

Conclusions: Our inquiry into the relationships between DSM panel members and the pharmaceutical industry demonstrates that there are strong financial ties between the industry and those who are responsible for developing and modifying the diagnostic criteria for mental illness. The connections are especially strong in those diagnostic areas where drugs are the first line of treatment for mental disorders. Full disclosure by DSM panel members of their financial relationships with for-profit entities that manufacture drugs used in the treatment of mental illness is recommended.

full study: http://www.tufts.edu/~skrimsky/PDF/DSM COI.PDF
 
Also, that anxiety kid is total bullshit, he obviously thinks it's a game. I have possibly the worst anxiety to ever happen to anyone, and I can manage it by myself, without medication, and without a psychiatrist. He either has brain damage or is playing around, but he DOES NOT have anxiety.
 
I wouldn't diagnose a kid with ADHD unless he/she took a reliable test that showed it. I'd inquire about diet and physical exercise, too. To be able to sit still in class, most kids need sports and limits on their screen time, not amphetamines. If a kid is eating well, sleeping, and getting plenty of physical exercise, but still has problems focusing and has a strong positive on cognitive testing, that's when to try stimulants.

It's school systems' faults for eliminating recess and physical education, and the media's fault for replacing traditional playing with instant gratifications like TV and the Internet. I'll be damned if us in healthcare are supposed to clean up this mess!
 
I'm hoping to maintain my ADHD throughout adulthood. Hopefully it will get progressively worse and require an incrementally more aggressive medication regimen.
 
MyDoorsAreOpen said:
If a kid is eating well, sleeping, and getting plenty of physical exercise, but still has problems focusing and has a strong positive on cognitive testing, that's when to try stimulants.
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I think that is still not an appropriate time to give a child amphetamine. Of all the drugs to keep away from a developing brain, I have to say amphetamine and similar drugs are right there at the top of the list. If a kid can't pay attention to a certain task, hold them back or move them up a grade or two. Kids can't be expected to learn exactly the same as other kids their age. This attitude of grouping all kids together by age is largely responsible for this, as it creates unreasonable expectations for kids.

Anyone that doesn't understand how kids mature needs to raise a few puppies. Dogs are exceptionally hyper animals anyway so it's easy to see how much of a difference in activity comes with age. There's a period at the beginning of life where they're unbelievably hyper and impulsive, followed by a gradual transition to adulthood and adult levels of energy. This is the same process that happens in humans and attempting to medicate this natural process is ridiculous IMO, and especially ridiculous considering the extreme nature of the drugs attempted.

It's school systems' faults for eliminating recess and physical education, and the media's fault for replacing traditional playing with instant gratifications like TV and the Internet. I'll be damned if us in healthcare are supposed to clean up this mess!
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I agree that the problem is largely due to changes in society, and that it is not the healthcare industry's responsibility to fix the problem. There has been a movement to capture responsibility for the problem however (in the name of profits), and this is what I see to be the problem.
 
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