Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a condition which affects many people across the world. But studies have shown that the numbers are increasing – researchers are trying to determine whether the rise is accurate or simply due to a greater awareness of the condition.
Recent studies into the diagnoses of ADHD may offer the answer to this issue. The new system for diagnoses counts only those confirmed by a medical professional, in comparison to those in previous studies which also counted parent and teacher’s reported cases. It also includes more children, giving a wider range of cases to analyse than before – the health records pooled amount to more than 840,000 children. The study discovered that 2.5% of children aged five to eleven were newly diagnosed with ADHD in 2001, yet in 2010, this had risen to 3.1%. It is important to note that not every group was affected equally though – even after taking into account various influencing factors such as age, sex and race, it was discovered that sub-populations with the highest rate of ADHD were also the population which did better on other measures too, such as health and achievements. Various cultural factors such as household income and ethnicity showed to be a varying factor.
The issue flags up some serious concerns though – diagnosing children too early means that you can offer treatment that will help the child do better at combating the symptoms, yet over-diagnosis could lead to children taking medication that they don’t actually require. ADHD is a condition which has become more common over just a generation, leading to many children struggling with poor focus, impulsivity and lack of attention. Researchers still have yet to conclude why more children are being diagnosed with the condition, but ascertaining some of the cultural factors which impact ADHD could help lead them to a definitive answer.
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