by Agent G

Created on: July 22, 2009

ADHD is the most common neurobehavioral disorder affecting children and adolescents. ADHD affects an estimated 3% to 8% of children (aged 5-17 years) and an estimated 4.4% of adults (aged 18 years and older). The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCSR) found that in a representative sample of children ages 8 to 15, 8.7% met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD. Of these, although 47.9% had a prior ADHD diagnosis, only 32% had received medication for ADHD for most of the preceding 12 months. (Froehlich 2007) Thus, there is empirical evidence that ADHD is actually underrecognized and undertreated, not overdiagnosed.

Another strong argument against the many opponents' hypotheses of ADHD being a result of "bad parenting" or "poor diet" is ADHD's strong familial connection and heritability. In a study of 457 first-degree relatives of clinically referred children and adolescents with ADHD, parents of children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD had a 29% chance of having ADHD and siblings of children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD had a 21% chance of having ADHD. (Biederman 2006) In a study of 31 clinically referred adults with ADHD who had children, 57% of children were reported to have ADHD when 1 of their parents was diagnosed with the condition. (Biederman 2005) In fact, many adults recognize ADHD in themselves only after their child has been diagnosed. The heritability of ADHD implies that it is not a condition that is simply being overdiagnosed.

The reason that pediatricians, primary care providers, and psychiatrists look for ADHD in children who present to them with either hyperactivity or inattention more often then they ever have is twofold. The first is the social impact of the disease. Over its course, ADHD causes impairment in multiple facets of a patient's life, hindering success in school and at work and interfering with the establishment and maintenance of relationships with family and peers. Compared with a control population, people with ADHD are more likely to drop out of high school or college, lose jobs, get divorced, use recreational drugs, have traffic accidents, and be arrested (Biederman 2006). ADHD frequently persists into adulthood, often due to its unrecognizing and childhood, causing substantial impairment in school, work, family, and social settings. Estimates of the societal cost of ADHD range into the tens of billions of dollars. The second reason doctors assess patients for ADHD is the advent of improved diagnostic screening tools.

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