18 December 2012
ADHD: Children and teens are being over-diagnosed.
By Kate Doak
ADHD is a behavioral disorder that affects people of all ages and causes individuals to have trouble with concentration and impulsiveness. This disorder, once taken extremely seriously, is now turning into a joke. With the tremendous rise in cases and levels of medication dished out to “treat it,” it seems as though the world has forgotten what a childhood is supposed to be and what normal child behavior really is.
This disorder, characterized by hyperactive impulsivity, was originally diagnosed by English pediatrician Sir George Frederick Still in 1902. Today, the disorder is divided into three subtypes: combined, inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive. Until the 1970s, an ADHD diagnosis of schoolchildren was extremely rare and almost nonexistent in adults. After 1980, however, the number of ADHD cases jumped almost eight-fold and the amount of medication used for treatment increased as well. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health in 2007, 7.8 percent of youth between four and 17 years of age were diagnosed with ADHD compared to 1 percent of schoolchildren in the 1970s. Similarly, the daily dosage of ADHD medication has increased by about 10 percent. Scientists and psychologists believe that this rise stemmed from an array of forces, most of which were concentrated in the 1990s. Thanks to the increase in children’s welfare advocates and the recognition of ADHD as a disability by The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, children with the disorder are eligible for special benefits including Medicaid.
ADHD, simple to diagnose as it may sound, has no concrete definition when it comes to symptoms and most therapists and doctors do not use the basic guidelines to begin with. In a study by Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University of Basel, researchers presented 450 child psychotherapists and psychiatrists in Germany with their own patient case. Of these cases, four patients were diagnosed even though only one showed the proper signs of ADHD. Dr. Silvia Schneider, one of the researchers, said: “We found that 20 percent of children who did not fulfill the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) diagnosis criteria received an incorrect ADHD diagnosis.” Psychiatrists are becoming loose about ADHD, which can lead to unnecessary and incorrect medicating.
This study shows that children who are either perfectly normal or who could possibly have other problems will be forever convinced that they have ADHD. In one case, a child who met the standard symptoms of an anxiety disorder was diagnosed with ADHD. Consequently, the child was at risk of being mistreated and possibly medicated for a disorder he or she did not have, which can be dangerous considering that medication to treat ADHD can have negative health effects in children, such as sleep disruption, increased risk of cardiovascular problems and slower growth rates. Not only can misdiagnosis cause incorrect treatment and possible health problems, but it can also cause unrest in a child’s social life because teachers, parents and peers may treat the child differently.
Child psychotherapists and psychiatrists need to be more careful about diagnosing a serious disorder like ADHD. While there is no specific and concrete set of symptoms to match every individual, there are proper guidelines that need to be carefully followed in order to avoid misdiagnosis.