Over-diagnosis and over-prescriptions of ADHD Currently America has an over prescription problem, this plagues all age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds. In young children the diagnosis of Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder also known as ADHD has rapidly increased. Because we live in world where so many need quick results, normal childhood behavior are now being mistaken for ADHD and other disorders. In this paper I will prove that ADHD is over diagnosed and overprescribed, especially in lower socio-economic groups. Having over medicated kids is not healthy and this trend needs to stop. ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders, however it is gravely misunderstood. According to the National Institute of Mental Health attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) starts in early childhood (average onset age is 7) and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity. Scientists are still not sure what causes ADHD, although some suggest that genes play a dominant role. Most likely it results from a combination of factors like environmental factors, brain injuries, nutrition, and the social environment. According to the NIMH some children with ADHD have thinner brain tissue in the areas of the brain associated with attention; however, as they grow up the tissue develops into a normal level of thickness. Environmental factors like having a mom who used cigarettes and alcohol while pregnant and kids who are exposed to high levels of lead are more prone to developing ADHD. Some scientists in Brittan have linked a higher consumption of food addictive like preservatives lead to a... ... middle of paper ... ... psychologist who might give the kids pointers on how to focus. Unfortunately treatments like this are very expensive and most medical insurances do not include therapy. Medications are also the fastest way for parents to see results in their unruly child. Ever since the FDA allowed companies to advertise directly to consumers we saw an increase in the ADHD rates as parents would see the advertisement, take their toddler and come back with very strong medications. To combat the problem of over prescription parents need to make a constant effort to be their child’s strongest advocate. Parents need to be well researched in this topic and decide whether or not it is worth it to medicate. They need to be able to properly take care of their child with alternative methods before turning to medication which a lot of doctors argue should be the last straw.
...ot want their loved ones on stimulants; this could cause feelings of despair. Their use of logos is insensitive to the audience because false hope of a cure is created, medication and behavior therapy is viewed as the way to control ADHD, and their speculation of what causes ADHD is unfounded.
Northeastern middler Gary Brown* reclines his small frame on a couch in his Mission Hill apartment. He looks like a patient on a psychiatrist's couch as he dictates his history of abuse with Ritalin and Adderall.
A diagnosis found that out of the 15 percent of high-school age children who take ADHD pills, the true rate of children needing to be medicated is closer to 5 percent. This over-diagnosis and prescription is a direct result of intense, multi-million dollar marketing campaigns of ADHD medication by the drug makers, through celebrity ads as well print and television ads that prompt patients and their families to ask doctors about those specific drugs. And the tactic has paid off, with a quintupling of stimulant sales since 2002, to over $8 billion in revenues.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), once called hyperkinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, is one of the most common mental disorders among children. (Elia, Ambrosini, Rapoport, 1999) It affects 3 to 5 percent of all children, with approximately 60% to 80% of these children experiencing persistence of symptoms into adolescence and adulthood, causing a lifetime of frustrated dreams and emotional pain. There are two types of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an inattentive type and a combined type. The symptoms of ADHD can be classified into three categories: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. This behaviour stops ADHD sufferers from focussing deliberately on organising and completing a specific task that they may not enjoy, learning new skills or information is proved to be impossible. An example of such behaviour is recognised by the report written by the National Institute of Mental Health where one of the subjects under study was unable to pass schooling examinations due to her inattentive behaviour. Such behaviour can damage the person's relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem. (National Institute of Mental Health 1999) There are also secondary symptoms which are associated with ADHD, such as learning disorders, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders, tic disorders, and conduct disorders. (Spencer, Biederman, and Wilens 1999 in Monastra V, Monastra D, George, 2002)
Sciutto MJ, Eisenberg M. Evaluating the evidence for and against the overdiagnosis of ADHD. J Atten Disord. 2007;11:106-113.
Challenges due to poverty could be addressed by providing financial assistance, food, and clothing. Time spent with parents is essential when dealing with children who have behavioral issues because parents or guardians may not have the funds or time to spend with their children due to other obligations needed to support the family. Parents and guardians play a major role in helping children grow and develop to their fullest potential. As children grow, they depend on their parents or guardians for basic needs and support such as food, shelter, education, protection, and care. During their life difficulties and times of crisis, they depend on family for guidance. Mental disorders in childhood and adolescence can be chronic, require proper attention, help, and support from caregivers and teachers as well. Parents and guardians living with children with mental illness disorders have additional responsibilities and roles to care for them as they do for healthy children. The best way to help those families are to have them participate in their own income generating activities such as respite services or programs accepted by Medicaid where they receive counseling from social workers or other healthcare professional. Pelham et al. (2007) found that using a cost of illness (COI) framework examines the economic impact of ADHD in childhood and adolescences and identified studies; therefore, most conducted on existing databases by using diagnostic and medical procedure codes focused on health care costs. The costs were examined for ADHD treatment and other health care costs, education, parental work loss, and juvenile justice. According to Pelham et al. (2007), this incomplete evidence base estimated that annu...
As a college student, the amount of students on powerful meds for ADHD and ADD is shocking. It is a topic seen in every classroom and heard in many dialogues. Conversations can be overheard frequently about how easy meds are to get and how effortless it is to receive a diagnosis. However, while I know that a vast number of students are taking prescription drugs for ADHD, I don’t think that I ever realized the full extent to which this disorder was effecting America’s youth. It wasn’t until I spent my time volunteering as a paraprofessional in a fourth grade classroom that I felt I truly understood the weight that the number of ADHD diagnosis’s were having on our nation’s children. The supervising teacher I was working with told me that in her classroom of 22 children, six of them were on some sort of prescription medication for ADHD, and many parents that I spoke to tended to blow off the risk factors involved, remarking that the drugs improved their school performance. I was shocked at this figure, especially because after working with the children, even on the days that they forgot to take their medicine, I found that by using different methods of instruction, many of the children didn’t seem to have much less trouble focusing than the children who did not have ADHD. So when we were assigned this paper, I set out to disprove the myth that children who act out in school have must ADHD and need to be put on prescription drugs in order to do well in school.
Theory suggests that ADHD is caused by a neurological and chemical deficiency that affects the development of the central nervous system. It is believed that this lack of development directly affects the part of the brain responsible for concentration. ADHD is also believed to be partly due to genetic inheritance. A large majority of individuals afflicted with this disorder will also have a relative who has ADHD.
The study found that children with ADHD tend to have higher blood-lead levels than children who do not have the disorder. Pediatricians in 2010 performed a similar study that found that children who had higher urine levels of organophosphate, a pesticide used on produce, had a higher rate to contract ADHD. Another study that was performed around the same time concluded that women with these same urine levels would have children who would contract the disease. Scientists at Candiff University suggest that children with ADHD are more likely to have missing or duplicated segments of DNA. Therefore, evidence strongly suggest that ADHD is passed down from the parents; not from their parenting style. Fetal exposure to alcohol and tobacco are thought to be apart of the reason ADHD is contracted. Children exposed to the smoke prenatally are 2.4 times more likely to contract the
One of the most controversial parts of ADD/ADHD is how it is diagnosed, for one and as stated earlier there is no physical tests to confirm you have the disorder. Secondly, there is no established single cause and the existing method of assessment is not standardized meaning one psychiatrist may use a written test while others may depend on what parents and teachers say, and what one psychiatrist classify as ADHD another may not. Thirdly there are other problems, which can cause behavioral concerns such as dyslexia, hearing problems, family problems, depression and anxiety (Rutherfor...
Abstract: This research paper describes ADHD and the treatments available. It discusses the different medications and their side effects and explains the opinions of some doctors for an alternative treatment. The main goal of the writing is to shed some light on the disorder and describe some theories about ADHD. This goal is stated in the thesis which talks about how ADHD cannot be identified exactly, the side effects to the medication are harsh, there are different alternative treatments, and research shows it may be caused from hormones and sleep deprivation.
“Some say that this explosion of childhood ADHD is indicative of what’s wrong with our society and education system. They blame parents and an educator for choosing quick fixes for what they say is a behavioral problem, not a brain-based disorder.”
In today’s society it seems that many peole are being dighnosed with Attention decicet disorder. Millions of dollars are being spent on ADHD medication every year. Some argue that this is not a disease while other doctors say it is. In this paper will look at the history of ADHD what were the early cases to today research and science on this so-called disease. Next we will look at the supporters of such and disease and what are some solution and medication being piscribed and their side affect. Next will examine the skeptics of ADHD and why they believe what they believe. Then, it will show the result of a research that has been done one patients who have been diagnosed of this disease and what is the process of diagnoses. Finally I will determine from my own point of what I think of this disease if it exisit or it just way for companies to cash in on money.
If you suspect that you or someone you know has ADHD, please talk with your doctor for a proper diagnosis and for more
The existence and diagnosis of ADHD has subjective nature because, as our book says, “No valid, independent test for ADHD exists.” The diagnosis for ADHD is quantified by doctors and psychiatrists who rely upon the observations and opinions of the people who care for the child being “evaluated”. Observations and opinions themselves are subjective because each person inevitably has their own personal biases and unique viewpoints which will lead them to define a child’s characteristics or behaviors in a certain way.