ADHD Commentary
ADHD the “Misused” Disorder
There are nearly 11 percent of children that goes to school that have been diagnosed for ADHD according to the 2013 information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This percentage reflects a tremendous increase over the past 10 years and is causing fueled concerns among doctors that ADHD medications are showing a trend of “misuse” in American children.
According to studies there are more than an estimated 6 million kids aging in the range of 4 to 17 that’s been diagnosed with ADHD which is an increase of 15 or more percent since studies done in 2007 regarding ADHD and it is over a 40 percent increase from in the past ten years. Most of the children diagnosed with ADHD have received prescriptions to use stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall and Vyvanse, which are known to tremendously improve individuals’ lives that suffer with ADHD however these drugs can result to an individual to have anxiety, psychosis, and can lead to addiction. Many of people are floored at the astronomical numbers such as a professor of Yale that studies medicine where he states “Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily, which goes well beyond the disorder and the zone of ambiguity to pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy” (Dr. W. Graf, 2013). To make matters worse there will be a larger number of teenagers that are going to be prescribed Adderall, Vyvanse, or Ritalin in the foreseeable future because the APA (American Psychiatric Association) is considering changing the meaning and definitions of ADHD to allow room for more individuals to be diagnosed with the disorder which means more will be treated with stimulants. ADHD is normally described by many doctors as a result of chemical levels abnormity that is associated in the brain that impair an individual’s attention skills and impulses control (NIMH, 2013). Some patient advocates and doctors have welcomed the rise of diagnoses percentages as proof that ADHD is being
There are nearly 11 percent of children that goes to school that have been diagnosed for ADHD according to the 2013 information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This percentage reflects a tremendous increase over the past 10 years and is causing fueled concerns among doctors that ADHD medications are showing a trend of “misuse” in American children.
According to studies there are more than an estimated 6 million kids aging in the range of 4 to 17 that’s been diagnosed with ADHD which is an increase of 15 or more percent since studies done in 2007 regarding ADHD and it is over a 40 percent increase from in the past ten years. Most of the children diagnosed with ADHD have received prescriptions to use stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall and Vyvanse, which are known to tremendously improve individuals’ lives that suffer with ADHD however these drugs can result to an individual to have anxiety, psychosis, and can lead to addiction. Many of people are floored at the astronomical numbers such as a professor of Yale that studies medicine where he states “Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily, which goes well beyond the disorder and the zone of ambiguity to pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy” (Dr. W. Graf, 2013). To make matters worse there will be a larger number of teenagers that are going to be prescribed Adderall, Vyvanse, or Ritalin in the foreseeable future because the APA (American Psychiatric Association) is considering changing the meaning and definitions of ADHD to allow room for more individuals to be diagnosed with the disorder which means more will be treated with stimulants. ADHD is normally described by many doctors as a result of chemical levels abnormity that is associated in the brain that impair an individual’s attention skills and impulses control (NIMH, 2013). Some patient advocates and doctors have welcomed the rise of diagnoses percentages as proof that ADHD is being
References: D.R. Frieden., Center for Disease and Prevention. (2013)., Increase in ADHD diagnosis. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/ Graf WD., Nagel SK., Epstien LG., Miller G., Nass R., Larriveiere D., (2013). Neuroenhancement: ethical, legal, social, and neurodevelopmental implications. Yale School of Medicine,. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23486879 J. Swanson, PHD., (2013). Department of Psychiatry,. “Hyperactivity Disorder/Attention Deficit”. Retrieved from: http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/collection.aspx?categoryID=5081&page=1 National Institute of Mental Health. (2013). What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD)?, Retrieved from: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperativity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml