The Importance Of ADHD Diagnosis In Children

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).

First step to understanding this disorder is to understand how it is diagnosed and what criteria is required. There are 18 possible symptoms for ADHD that are divided into two categories, inattentive and hyperactivity/impulsive (Barkley 1997). In order to be diagnosed with ADHD an individual must show at least 6 symptoms in one category for 6 months (Barkley 1997). Depending on what category the symptoms were in the child would also be assigned to a subtype, either: predominantly inattentive or predominantly hyperactive/impulsive; but if the individual met criteria for both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive then the child would be diagnoses with ADHD combined (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 2013). Some of the symptoms that fall under the inattentive subtype are inability to stay focused on tasks (i.e. during lectures, conversations,

The increase of ADHD diagnosis has raised many concerns among doctors in the United States. In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported new data that showed the number of children diagnosed with ADHD grew by 22 percent in a four-year period Brown University, (2013). The information from the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) raised questions and concerns about the growth of ADHD diagnosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also stated that the percentage of children with a diagnosis of ADHD continue to increase in the United States. This information was provided by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to inform the public and raise awareness for ADHD. Researching the growth of

‘There is no way, scientific or medical, that a child can be tested for ADHD, there is therefore no way that it can be medically proven. The diagnosis is totally subjective - we can run X-rays for broken bones to provide a definitive and conclusive answer, we can check blood pressure to see if

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.

ADHD, also known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is one of the most common childhood disorders that can carry on through adolescence and adulthood (Thomas Insel, 2013). In 2011, 11% of children were diagnosed with ADHD in the United States and has increased every year by 3% from 1997 to 2006 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). ADHD was originally called ADD which stands for attention deficit disorder but, was

Most regularly we turn to prescription drugs for everything from acne to severe back pain. The condition known as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is no different. ADHD is a behavioral disorder commonly diagnosed in school-aged children ages 5-17 years old about 8% to 10% of that population

ADHD is a lifelong condition that affects both sexes of all ages. Millions of people go through the symptoms and get diagnosed every day. ADHD is considered the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorders. “ADHD affects an estimated three to five percent of children, which is approximately two million in the U.S. ” (Basile, Attention

I believe that there is a very high number of children with ADHD in America that are being misdiagnosis because diagnosing ADHD is extremely hard and society views ADHD as a disease opposed to the disorder it truly is. In recent years there has been a major increase in the number of children diagnosed with ADHD. According to an FDA advisory committee, in 2014 "2.5 million children now take stimulants for ADHD" . 2.5 million people is roughly the population of Toronto, it's hard to look past a large number of diagnoses of a disorder let alone it being in children. With that high of a number of cases of ADHD, it's not hard to believe that ADHD is "the most prevalent childhood psychiatric disorder" . As I previously stated, ADHD is commonly

ADHD is a chronic disease that can last for several years or even become life long. It is typically developed during childhood and symptoms can be seen through adulthood if not outgrown. Symptoms include persistent limited attention and hyperactivity and can be the leading cause to low self-esteem, troubled relationships, and difficulty with focus driven activity such as work or school. (DSM-5) Due to the lack of scientific testing and other coexisting problems with similar symptoms, ADHD is a multistep process in diagnosing a child or adolescent. In the beginning stages of diagnosing ADHD, the primary care physician examines the child’s behavior by evaluating the child and consulting with adult figures in the child’s daily life. During the

    Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a highly controversial disease. In the past and even today ADHD has been extremely overdiagnosed in youth. There are many reasons why this disease is so frequently improperly diagnosed. In previous editions of the DSM, criteria for diagnosing ADHD was exponentially less than the criteria in the DSM-5. This caused diagnosis of the disease to be more frequent. On top of having little criteria for diagnosis, pharmaceutical companies have promoted drugs for the disease more

Ritalin has been over used for too many years when dealing with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder cases or similar diagnosis that called for it. One of the major reasons that Ritalin isn’t prescribed as much anymore is because there have been several cases where it would cause more damage than good for the patients that were taking the medication. Another reason is that several parents that had children sensitive to the medication would not listen to their children until they had to act out and show how much they medication was causing them problems. When this would happen they were seen as trouble maker children or students that would act out for no reason or just to get attention.

ADHD is a psychological disorder characterized difficulty sitting still, fidgetiness and trouble paying attention. ADHD is usually diagnosed in children while they are still in elementary school. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 11% of all kids in the US between the ages of 4 and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. In recent years, the prevalence of children being diagnosed with ADHD was spiked tremendously. For example, the rates of diagnosis increased by almost 6% per year just from the years 2003-2007. Due to increases in diagnosis, many psychologists have began to question whether or not the increase in ADHD is a true epidemic, or whether it is simply being over diagnosed.

As a result, certain speculation regarding the possible increases in ADHD prevalence can’t exactly be looked at. There is also no demographic and descriptive statistics for children with the disorder which creates disparities in access to treatment, identification, and reposts of the manifestation of ADHD (J, 2011). The risk factors of ADHD have not thoroughly been investigated. Many of the fundamental etiological questions still remain for ADHD research. Understanding and identifying etiological factors will help enhance prevention efforts and the treatment for children with ADHD. There needs to be a Federal interagency workgroup established to pool research expertise and resources in order to help launch an epidemiologic research effort that could help to address those public health research needs brought about in ADHD. These collaborations should be multi-disciplinary and should include professionals like epidemiology, risk behavior prevention, mental/physical health, and health communication (J,

When diagnosing ADHD, there is no single test itself that can determine it. Deciding if a child has the disorder is a several step process, which requires the attention of different professionals as well as those surrounding the child on a daily basis. A pediatrician,