ADHD In Children: A Case Study

Analysis of parent-reported data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 2011–2013 found that 10% of children ages 4–17 years were diagnosed with ADHD (Pastor et al. 2015) Boys (13.3%) are twice more affected by ADHD than girls (5.6%)(Pastor et al. 2015). A similar study found that the prevalence rate of ADHD diagnosis increased from 7.0% in 1997–1999 to 10.2% in 2012–2014(ADHD General Prevalence. (2014).

In recent years, the number of cases diagnosed with ADHD skyrocketed from 4 million per year to 10.4 million in children (King, 2013).

The main topic of this page is information and statistics pertaining to children that possess the disorder of ADHD. It provided several statistics amongst the boys and girls that have ADHD. It also provided percentages and rates of how many children are diagnosed with the disorder. It revealed that statistically proven boys are more likely to become diagnosed with the disorder than females are. This site also provided statistics ad ratings of the different treatments that children are taking and how many American children received treatment for the disorder in 2011. There was also a percentage representing the children that may have been diagnosed with the disorder but are not receiving any type of treatment for it. There are also facts supporting that parents that may have been diagnosed with the disorder are more likely to reproduce children that suffer from the same disorder opposed to parents who have not been diagnosed or exhibited any behaviors or symptoms of ADHD. It is also quoted that children that have been diagnosed with the disorder may form a issue with maintaining any relationships or friendships amongst their peers. There was also a percentage that supported the fact that the children that suffer from the disorder of ADHD have a higher rate or major injuries and hospital visits compared to the average child. There is also a high economic cost to care and treat children that suffer from this disorder.

The trend of over medicating children with ADHD is labeled well with the phrase anesthetization of our youth. “Anesthetize- deprive if feeling or awareness.” (Oxford Dictionary, 2014) Many children often express to their parents that they feel as if they are a walking zombie. A child may find that they are having memory issues, are not quite themselves, and feel overly drowsy. “ADHD medications often change a child’s personality creating what many kids with ADHD (and their parents) refer to as a zombie state or making them more aggressive.” (Barnett H., P. 1, 2013) Children with ADHD have other options for treatment but unfortunately medications are pushed on them at an alarming rate. The government paved the road for the pharmaceutical industry for ADHD medications in the 1990’s.

For many no matter what facts are available ADHD is simply not real. It is easy to understand where people with this point of view are coming from. Starting off with the fact the ADHD doesn't seem to be present in other countries around the world. Children's psychologist Angela Southall claims that 90% of the worlds Ritalin is being prescribed in the United States (Southhall). So yes ADHD is more prevalent in the United States than anywhere else in the world. This leads many to believe that ADHD is something made up by the United States pharmaceutical industry as some sort of hoax. This is certainly an argument that can be credited even by the opposing point of view. It does seem that pharmaceutical companies are marketing their ADHD medications strategically in the United States to get as many people onboard as possible. On the opposing side of this argument it has little to do with stating whether ADHD is real or not. The ideas of the disorder did in fact come up far before pharmaceuticals were involved in the treatment.

Young boys are more diagnosed then young girls because doctors are looking for the average prototype which is young males. Children are given higher dosages of medication with a lack of research from doctors and or parents. Another article "ADHD Over-diagnosed in Youngest Kids in Class." gives statistics on the topic at hand and talks about the effects of the medication given to a wrongly diagnosed child. Children born in December are more likely to have ADHD because they are the youngest in their grade. The medicine given can cause a lack of sleep and cardiovascular disorders in children. Over a million children had an increase in heart issues due per scripted ADHD medicines. Overall the youngest child in class is more likely to be diagnosed with the disorder. The treatment of ADHD varies considerably because there is no founded cure for this disorder. Health care providers continue to claim this disorder can be controlled and managed basically advertising ADHD and the medications just like a

As of today there are one million more children in the U.S. that have adhd then just

When children begin to develop “symptoms” of ADHD, parents begin to become frustrated and lose patients, so they think they need to go to the doctors and have their own child put on medication. It is very common that children are misdiagnosed with ADHD. Eighty-two percent of teachers and sixty-eight percent of undergraduates agreed that ADHD is over diagnosed. “According to many critics, such over diagnosis raises the specter of medicalizing largely normal behavior and relying to heavily on pills rather than skills, such as teaching children better ways of coping with stress” (Lilenfeld).

Well, ADHD is different and is surprisingly unclear. There is no clear consensus on what the cause or causes of this disease are. There have been countless theories however, and all have been disproved through studies. There is no urine test, blood test, PET scan, or physical test or examination that can tell if someone does or doesn?t have ADHD. This translates into mass confusion when parents, teachers, and even doctors are called upon to diagnose a child with this disorder or not. Psychiatrists around the world say that, ?about half the children who show up in their offices as ADHD referrals are actually suffering from a variety of other ailments, including learning disabilities, depression or anxiety-disorders that look like ADHD, but do not need Ritalin. Some seem to be just regular kids.? (Newsweek, pg.52)

The misdiagnoses of ADHD is problematic because it causes people to take medication that they didn't need in the first place. It labels young children for something they never had and could cause self- esteem issues. And also makes it hard for the mis-diagnosed to find out what's really wrong with them. Americans need to be more aware of the vast misdiagnosing of ADHD because it's a growing problem and it needs to be

Four percent of all children in the United States Of America are diagnosed with ADHD (“When Will America Just Say No”). From 2008-2012 the rate of children diagnosed with ADHD went up 30 percent ( While there are this many diagnoses’ not all of them are correctly given. Some people pretend to have ADHD so that they can abuse the medicine with it. This is one of the reasons people are divided at giving their child the medication and not. Although some people think their diagnoses is correct, a lot of times it’s not and it could be solved by making the test more complex because we don’t want children on medication they don’t need, it can have harsh side effects, and pretty much anyone who wants it can get it for their own reasons.

Since 2011, 11 percent of children age 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD (CDC.gov) The DSM V states that around 5percent of children have ADHD. However, in the United States, that rate is much higher in community samples. In 2003, the United States rates were 7.8% and were 11% in 2011, raising almost 3 percent. Those rates are expected to continue to increase in the upcoming years.

One in 10 children between ages 5 to 17 is diagnosed with ADHD, making this one of the most common childhood disorders in the United States.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a group of behavioral and mental symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. ADHD is a mental disorder that takes place in childhood (1). It can continue through teenage years and adulthood. ADHD makes it difficult for a child to pay attention. Children diagnosed with ADHD can be hyperactive. Also, children with ADHD find it difficult to say patient. In addition, children with ADHD may not do well in school or have a good behavior at their home or in their community. Children from all around the world and at any age can develop ADHD (2). ADHD affects around 2-5% school-aged children, it is more diagnosed in boys than girls. Most symptoms of ADHD cases are related

Descriptions of ADHD symptoms have been stable since the mid-19th century. Even as early as 1863, the public's view of the disorder started to emerge in a poem by a German physicist which depicted 'Fidgety Phil's' classic sign's of ADHD (6). In 1902, experts classified children suffering form ADHD as mentally retarded, socially inept or even emotionally disturbed. It wasn?t until the 1940?s that experts classified it as a neurological disorder. Its discovery actually occurred in 1937(6). Dr. Bradley of Providence, Rhode Island discovered that while treating severely destructive children using amphetamines, a stimulant, the children would become more tranquil and could