Over diagnosed, Underexposed?

[ADHDsuck]

        “10% of all 10-year-old boys in the United States get the drugs; "No one is saying that there aren't children who are desperately dysfunctional and need these drugs," Dr. Steven Nissen said. "But it isn't 10% of 10-year-olds."”
(Steven Nissen, member of the Food and Drug Administration and most recently medical director of C5)

        The most crucial problem dealing with ADHD today is its’ diagnosis. Inattentiveness, and hyperactivity are the only two criteria one must meet to be diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication. The problem with this criterion is that it can be applied to anyone, especially kids and teens who either are bright and outgoing, or fake for example, being fidgety and restless, to get the drugs.  This also creates problems with parents who use it as a quick fix for their kids doing badly in school or acting out just because they are kids or doctors who have been known to diagnose it because its cheap and fast. In May 2000, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s “Drug of Concern” Bulletin listed Ritalin along side of cocaine, LSD, and ecstasy, and also as a schedule II substance, meaning its at risk of being abused with major health risks after prolonged use.  This is due to the fact that more and more people can pass a diagnosis procedure that is not 100% accurate. It is easy to see this because the abuse and cases of ADHD have increased every year since the first guidelines were issued for diagnosing ADHD in 2002. People need to be concerned because of the physically and emotionally harmful effects the drugs can have on people.
        Increased blood pressure and heart rate, anxiety, and insomnia are a few of the many side effects of the drugs prescribed for ADHD. These can also be amplified in people that do not have ADHD but still take the drugs. People are not aware of the many side effects of these drugs, which is why I think a solution needs to be found to stop the exponential growth of cases, which lead to drug abuse because of more availability of the drugs. I think the faulty diagnosis is not fixed by a better diagnosis though, because people will always find ways around the rules. Instead though, by education of the side-effects of the drugs, people being more tolerant so that things do not get tagged so easily as ADHD by doctors or parents, and lastly the effectiveness of natural remedies such as certain diets and neuro feedback therapies which can easily be accessed online or through doctors if people would just take the time to look or ask.

[ADHDsuck]

thanks everyone for responding!!

[allmymarbles]

The quick fix is more widespread than ADD. What about the outrageous C-section rate? It is more than 30 per cent in America. That is about five times what it should be. Greater emphasis should be placed on ethics in medical school. Because of a history of difficult  (but ultimately natural) births in my family, I was enormously careful about choosing my doctor, and my daughters used midwives. (Midwives were not recognized in the US when I gave birth.) The abuse of caesarians has been going on for at least half a century here.

[Sandman2]

   I hear you.  It really is difficult to deal with kids that are really rambunctious.  As the child gets older (say middle school), you have more ways to work with them just because of their maturation.  In grade school, its a lot harder.  Then you throw in the large class sizes and - - - .  It is possible, but a newbie teacher will find it extremely difficult.  
And its not so much that shouting and scolding (which really don't work after awhile) is not allowed - its just that many times the the teachers are stuck there all alone with no support.
   Doctors should be getting nervous.  I think many times they take the easy way out.  But I guess in their defense, they are also overworked, etc.  You would think that with the extreme number of kids being diagnosed that there would be some kind of a national information session going on.  Could you imagine what would be happening if 10% of any age group was being diagnosed with something that could so radically affect their lives?

[allmymarbles]

I was talking to that same daughter this evening and we got on the subject of ADD. She said there is a recent blacklash because of cavalier diagnosis and treatment. They are starting to call it malpractice, and doctors are getting nervous about drugging kids. Hallelujah!

She also made a case for teachers who have trouble controlling their students. She said no real discipline is allowed. The teacher cannot even shout or scold, no doubt for fear of damaging their delicate psyches. So they are in a bind when it comes to rambunctious children

[Sandman2]

  I have dealt with a lot of parents over the years, and that story takes the cake, the frosting, the plate, table, etc.  Unbelievable!!  And yet, I am not surprised.  And its probably the perfect illustration of  (at least one reason) why the quote mentioned above is happening.

[allmymarbles]

Nothing surprises me anymore. Here is a story to curl your toes.

One of my daughters counsels children who have a hard time keeping up with their school work. She does not tutor them; she has them organize their work so that the load is not burdensome. Her purpose is to relieve the strain on the child and have him improve his performance by adopting simple methods (that actually save time).

Some of the parents are problematical. There are those who want her to drive children to be A students, whether they are capable of it or not. That is an old story to her, but recently she came across something really bad. One of her girl students was taking medication for ADD. She had already been taken to the emergency room three times in connection with her medication. In talking to the mother and explaining the danger to her daughter, it came out that the mother did not want to discontinue the medication because she was afraid her daughter would become fat! You can imagine my daughter's horror. She immediately contacted the girl's doctor explaining the situation and actually had to threaten her to take action! That is child abuse no matter how you slice it. By the way, the girl did not have ADD and doctor and mother both knew it. Yuck!

[Sandman2]

    When I read that quote, “10% of all 10-year-old boys in the United States get the drugs;",  I figured NO Way, that's got to be a misquote.  I did a lot of research and finally found the original document - and its a direct quote from a group that should have its facts together.  That is almost unbelievable!!  

[allmymarbles]

“10% of all 10-year-old boys in the United States get the drugs;...." If that is true I consider it medical malpractice. And along the same line, you keep hearing of people being addicted to prescription drugs. Who in h**l gave them the prescriptions? It might be time to crack down on our pill happy medical profession.

[benjimom]

I sometimes wonder if kids are diagnosied with ADHD when if fact they have something else.  ADHD mimics other disorders such as sensory issues, anxiety, bipolar, etc.

[Sandman2]

     I think I will disagree with you just a bit.  I don't think,  "The most crucial problem dealing with ADHD today is its’ diagnosis".  I think that it is AFTER the diagnosis that the problems start happening.
      You make some very good points.  But one correction (I think).  You said, "Inattentiveness, and hyperactivity are the only two criteria one must meet to be diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication."  This is correct but, "To be diagnosed with ADHD, children should have at least 6 attention symptoms or 6 activity and impulsivity symptoms -- to a degree beyond what would be expected for children their age. The symptoms must be present for at least 6 months, observable in 2 or more settings, and not caused by another problem. The symptoms must be severe enough to cause significant difficulties. Some symptoms must be present before age 7."   Its just that you made it sound very simple, and its a bit more involved than that.  I do agree with you that people will find some way (or some doctor to get) around the rules.
   Your "solutions" are good, but I think you left out (or only hinted) at the most important one.  That is education about what ADD/ADHD is and how to work with it.  If parents (and teachers) take the time to get educated about ADD/ADHD, I think the use of meds could go down.  And even if meds are being used, they are too often treated as a magic pill which if the child takes - everything will be all right.  The consequences for that action begins to show up as the child hits highschool, or college, or after.