The headline is all over the place: ADHD Is on the Rise. ADHD has increased 1997-2006. A new survey from the CDC/National Center for Health Statistics says it’s so.
I can’t and won’t believe the conclusions of this survey.
I’m not saying that ADHD is or is not on the rise (in fact, soon I’ll talk about how common ADHD is!), but I am frustrated by headlines and so-called “national studies” that are inaccurate and weak.
This study found:
- 9% of children have ADHD
- Boys had ADHD more often than girls
- White and Black children have ADHD more than Hispanic children
- Children with Medicaid have ADHD more than uninsured or privately insured children
This study (and the headlines) forget to emphasize that they consider a child as suffering from ADHD if “a doctor or health professional ever told the parent that their child had ADHD….
I think that is crazy.
Just because a doctor SAID a youth has ADHD in no way means the youth ACTUALLY HAS the disorder. In fact, they aren’t even saying that a “mental health professional” said the youth had ADHD. (more…)
When to Worry: How to Tell if Your Teen Needs Help 