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Over-Diagnosis Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

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Over-diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder among children and adolescents (UCLA). ADHD/ADD usually becomes apparent in children during preschool and early school years. ADHD/ADD affects 3 percent to 5 percent of approximately two million American children (Frequently). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a disability in which children consistently show one or more of these characteristics over a period of time: inattentive, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Children who are inattentive have difficulty focusing on just one task; they get …show more content…

Children with ADHD/ADD may also be impulsive, have difficulty with self-control, and be hyperactive, but these are also symptoms of hundreds of other disorders. Children can behave as though they have ADHD/ADD, but not really have ADHD/ADD. People are too quick to say that lack of attention is a disorder. Having lack of attention could simply be caused by stress. Stress causes their minds to wander. Stress is commonly in every individual, so lack of attention does not necessarily mean that a child is ADHD/ADD. Generally, people are too quick to assume that their child or a child is ADHD/ADD based off of his/her bad behavior. Teachers and parents for example, too often parents are being intimidated and persuaded by schools/ teachers to have their child undergo a psychological evaluation because the child is highly energetic and lacks concentration (“ADD/ ADHD Misdiagnosis and Mistreatment”). Parents—not teachers—are the ones primarily pushing to have children assessed for attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (Samuels). Unfortunately, parents are often made to feel guilty if they to have their child evaluated (“ADD/ADHD Misdiagnosis and Mistreatment”). Doctors also are very quick to assume and will diagnose a child with ADHD/ADD. Before putting a medical diagnosis on children and prescribing medications to children, doctors should make sure and check that they have looked at all the possibilities before referring for medical evaluation. Should

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