A Look Behind ADHD Statistics
The incidence of ADHD diagnosis among American children has been increasing during recent years. An expert looks behind the statistics to answer a couple of common questions about ADHD
Experts say approximately five percent of school-aged children have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. The most common ADHD symptoms are the inability to sustain attention and impulsive, hyperactive behavior. The disorder is typically treated with medications or other therapies. Jeff Epstein, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center, says the past decade has seen a steady rise in ADHD diagnoses. "There appear to be more and more diagnosed each year. The reasons for that are probably both because there appears to be a greater understanding of the disorder among the population, and the new criteria, DSM IV*, are a little bit more inclusive." Some studies have found that ADHD is up to 10 times more common in boys than girls, but Epstein says this statistic is misleading. "In clinical samples, you see more boys, because they tend to be much more disruptive than girls, therefore they get referred to clinics much more. When you go out into the epidemiological world, where you'd survey a whole sample of children, it's not that high. It's usually two to one, maybe even three to one." I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.
* Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition