More Than 10 Percent of U.S. Children Have Been Diagnosed with ADHD
The number of children in the United States who are being diagnosed with ADHD is on the rise, according to a new study.
Using data collected between 1997 and 2016 by the National Health Interview Survey from over 180,000 children between the ages of 4 and 17, the study found the amount of kids diagnosed with ADHD in the U.S. “increased from 6.1% in 1997-1998 to 10.2% in 2015-2016.”
However, not all demographics are experiencing the same rates of increase.
According to the study, which was published on Friday in JAMA Pediatrics, the rate of diagnosis has doubled for girls, with 6.1 percent being diagnosed in 2016, compared to 3.1 percent in 1997.
While the rate of diagnosis has also increased for boys, it’s been less significant (from 9 to 14 percent).
In the study, it was hypothesized that the reason behind the increased differential is due to changes in how the disorder is diagnosed, as girls “often fail to demonstrate classic hyperactive symptoms.”
The study found that black and Hispanic children are being diagnosed with ADHD at higher rates, which “might reflect increased access to care and decreased stigma in those communities.”
While in the 1997, only 3.6 percent of Hispanic children were being diagnosed with ADHD, by 2016 that number almost doubled, to 6.1 percent. The change was even more pronounced for black children, with 4.7 percent of children being diagnosed with ADHD in 2016 compared to 12.8 percent in 2016.
Among white children, the number has increased from 7.2 percent to 12 percent.
RELATED VIDEO: Glenn Close Wants to End the Fear That People Battling Mental Illness Are ‘Dangerous’
The study also did not find any “scientific evidence” to support the claim that ADHD is overdiagnosed in children.
“I don’t think overdiagnosis is the main issue,” Dr. Wei Boi, who is the lead author on the study, said during a recent interview, according to CNN.
However, not all experts are so sure.
Stephen Hinshaw, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, expressed skepticism that the study reflected “a continuing rise in the true prevalence of ADHD, versus the diagnosed prevalence,” reported HealthDay News.
“We know, for example, that most children are diagnosed by general pediatricians rather than specialists,” he continued, adding that “it’s possible that too many youths are being overdiagnosed, if evidence-based diagnostic procedures aren’t being used.”
The study called for an increased amount of research is necessary to understand why diagnosis rates have increased.
Source: Read Full Article
