Adhd Overdiagnosis
Introduction
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2007, approximately 9.5% or 5.4 million children 4-17 years of age have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive-disorder (ADHD). This disorder is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders in American children. Children with ADHD often have trouble paying attention, sitting still, focusing on tasks, and controlling impulsive behaviors. It is a growing concern and epidemic as rates of diagnosis have continued to increase at an average rate of 5.5% since 2003 (CDC 3). Due to an uncertain biologic cause of the disorder, there have been several speculations as to whether the disorder exists. As numbers rise, several parents, teachers, and researchers also wonder if children are being misdiagnosed and whether pharmaceutical drugs are appropriate sources of treatment.
What is ADHD?
Cause
ADHD is a relatively new, multifactorial disease with no known scientific cause. In the 2009 book, Medicating Children: ADHD and Pediatric Mental Health, Mayes, Bagwell, and Erkulwater discuss multiple biological causes researchers have discovered up to date. In 1963, Keith Conners and Leon Eisenberg suggested that “problems in inhibitory controlling symptoms….and problems with arousal” cause the symptoms of ADHD. More recently, Barkley attributes the symptoms to “behavioral inhibition [that] involves delaying responses that are likely to be reinforced and protecting this delay so that other self-regulatory functions called executive functions can occur and control responses” (26-27).
Mayes, Bagwell, and Erkulwater also discuss neurological studies studying cerebral blood flow and cerebral glucose metabolism. These studies have shown “decreases in blood flow in the prefrontal areas of the brain and also in the connections between these regions and the limbic system in the ADHD group” (27). Some scientists believe that ADHD is caused by “a delay in maturation of the brain” as
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2007, approximately 9.5% or 5.4 million children 4-17 years of age have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive-disorder (ADHD). This disorder is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders in American children. Children with ADHD often have trouble paying attention, sitting still, focusing on tasks, and controlling impulsive behaviors. It is a growing concern and epidemic as rates of diagnosis have continued to increase at an average rate of 5.5% since 2003 (CDC 3). Due to an uncertain biologic cause of the disorder, there have been several speculations as to whether the disorder exists. As numbers rise, several parents, teachers, and researchers also wonder if children are being misdiagnosed and whether pharmaceutical drugs are appropriate sources of treatment.
What is ADHD?
Cause
ADHD is a relatively new, multifactorial disease with no known scientific cause. In the 2009 book, Medicating Children: ADHD and Pediatric Mental Health, Mayes, Bagwell, and Erkulwater discuss multiple biological causes researchers have discovered up to date. In 1963, Keith Conners and Leon Eisenberg suggested that “problems in inhibitory controlling symptoms….and problems with arousal” cause the symptoms of ADHD. More recently, Barkley attributes the symptoms to “behavioral inhibition [that] involves delaying responses that are likely to be reinforced and protecting this delay so that other self-regulatory functions called executive functions can occur and control responses” (26-27).
Mayes, Bagwell, and Erkulwater also discuss neurological studies studying cerebral blood flow and cerebral glucose metabolism. These studies have shown “decreases in blood flow in the prefrontal areas of the brain and also in the connections between these regions and the limbic system in the ADHD group” (27). Some scientists believe that ADHD is caused by “a delay in maturation of the brain” as
Cited: Bagwell, Catherine, et al. Medicating Children: ADHD and Pediatric Mental Health. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009. Breuer, Dieter, et al. “How Often do Children Meet ICD-10/DSM-IV Criteria of attention deficit-/hyperacitivity disorder and hyperkinetic disorder?: Parent-based Prevalence Rates in a National Sample – Results of the BELLA Study.” The European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Journal 17.8 (2008): 59-70. Web. 02 Dec. 2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 02 Dec. 2010. <http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/index.html>. Flora, Stephen Ray. Taking America Off Drugs: Why Behavioral Therapy is More Effective for Treating ADHD, OCD, Depression, and Other Psychological Problems. Albany: SUNY Press, 2007. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)." NIMH. Web. 02 Dec. 2010. <http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index.shtml>. Dolby, Nadine. “Research in Youth Culture and Policy: Current Conditions and Future Directions.” Social Work and Society: The International Online-Only Journal 6.2 (2008): n. pag. Web. 20 May 2009.