Surge in ADHD diagnoses gets a red flag

[lostinblue 1,989]

Surge in ADHD diagnoses gets a red flag

Children play in a corridor in Barcelona, Spain on November 21, 2012Children play in a corridor in Barcelona, Spain on November 21, 2012

AFP - Doctors sounded a warning Tuesday over a rise in ADHD diagnoses, saying some children may be needlessly taking powerful drugs intended to correct a poorly understood disorder.

Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the researchers noted treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had risen massively in recent years, even though its causes are unclear and drugs can have adverse effects.

ADHD is a disorder blamed for severe and frequent bouts of inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity. Children and young adolescents are those who are most diagnosed with it.

But some experts fear the term ADHD may "medicalise" problems related to a child's personality or maturity level, the effects of poor parenting or other home problems.

In Australia, prescriptions for the stimulant Ritalin and other ADHD drugs rose by 72 percent between 2000 and 2011, while in Britain and the Netherlands prescriptions roughly doubled between 2003 and 2008, said the paper.

According to the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), nearly one in 11 American children aged 13-18 and one in 25 adults are affected by ADHD.

The analysis noted that Ritalin and other drugs were meant to be used only for "severe" ADHD symptoms, which according to research data only occur among about 14 percent of children with the condition.

Yet "about 87 percent of children diagnosed with ADHD in the US in 2010 subsequently received medication," it said, warning of "unnecessary and possibly harmful medication treatment".

The study said the main ADHD drugs could have side effects like weight change, liver damage and dwelling on suicide. And the drugs' long-term impact, as a child moves into adulthood, remained unknown.

The study, led by Rae Thomas at the Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice at Australia's Bond University, did not dispute the existence of ADHD as a medical condition.

It noted that children who genuinely had a severe form of it ran the risk of failure at school and of social rejection.

But it called on doctors to follow a six-step programme of "watchful waiting" over 10 weeks to confirm that a child really did need help.

A separate study using lab rats suggested high, abusive doses of the chief ingredient in Ritalin stimulates a brain chemical mechanism implicated in drug addiction.

Rats were given the possibility of self-administering a dose of methylphenidate (MPH) in experiments led by Sara Jones at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Caroline.

Repeated high doses of the substance released a neurochemical brake in the brain, boosting levels of the "pleasure" chemical called dopamine.

The results are important in the context of reports of widening use of MPH for a non-medical high, especially among US college students, said the paper in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday.

"We think it (the reported abuse) is more dangerous than generally believed," Jones told AFP in a phone interview.

In rats, Ritalin caused the brain to become more sensitised to dopamine signals, which meant they did not need ever higher doses -- the opposite observed in cocaine trials.

This characteristic could make Ritalin a "gateway" drug, added to the fact that traces of it stayed in the body for a long time -- giving an added boost to a user simultaneously taking cocaine, amphetamines or other narcotics.

Jones said the rats gave themselves doses "probably between five and 10 times" the amount prescribed for children with ADHD.

"There were no effects (on the rats) from oral doses that you would typically prescribe to a child," she added. "That was comforting."

http://www.france24.com/en/20131106-surge-adhd-diagnoses-gets-red-flag

[Sarah Elle-Même 660]

So glad we have a market driven pharmaceutical industry! Also gotta show some love for the crackpot psychiatrists who push the pills.

Here's an idea for parents:

-Unplug the TV and computer cords

-Play outside with your kids

-Reduce your kids' sugar and processed food consumption

Guarantee there will be less ADHD/ADD "diagnoses".

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Sounds like America. The rise of kids taking ADHD medicine comes the rise of mass killings.

I'm really not sure if it relates, but if a kid is taking this stuff and really doesn't have ADHD I am sure it is leaving some kind of psychological effect on them.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Sounds like America. The rise of kids taking ADHD medicine comes the rise of mass killings.

I'm really not sure if it relates, but if a kid is taking this stuff and really doesn't have ADHD I am sure it is leaving some kind of psychological effect on them.

I'd be willing to bet it does relate, and I believe we're just beginning to see the affects of drugging our kids at such a young age. This ADHD/ADD craze started about 20 years ago so we're only just seeing the affects of the first generation of kids who have grown up on these drugs.

[GandD 5,966]

[Janelle2002 3,865]

I'd be willing to bet it does relate, and I believe we're just beginning to see the affects of drugging our kids at such a young age. This ADHD/ADD craze started about 20 years ago so we're only just seeing the affects of the first generation of kids who have grown up on these drugs.

It is used to give the teachers a quiet classroom of zombie kids because they do not want disruptions and want their life easier when teaching instead of letting kids be kids.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

hahahahahahahahahahaha this is correct. This is what school was like before corporal punishment was taken out. Now you can't do anything with the kids. If you breathe on them too hard it is child abuse.

[Teddy B 17,252]

It is used to give the teachers a quiet classroom of zombie kids because they do not want disruptions and want their life easier when teaching instead of letting kids be kids.

Yep, and parents are just as much to blame as well.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Yep, and parents are just as much to blame as well.

This is true, but what do you do when the teacher keeps complaining about your child? Keep moving the child to different schools? The teachers are taught to complain on kids.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

So glad we have a market driven pharmaceutical industry! Also gotta show some love for the crackpot psychiatrists who push the pills.

Here's an idea for parents:

-Unplug the TV and computer cords

-Play outside with your kids

-Reduce your kids' sugar and processed food consumption

Guarantee there will be less ADHD/ADD "diagnoses".

Absolutely!

[Teddy B 17,252]

This is true, but what do you do when the teacher keeps complaining about your child? Keep moving the child to different schools? The teachers are taught to complain on kids.

I meant that parents are just as much to blame for not wanting to give their kids the attention they need to keep them stimulated. Some parents would much rather pop a pill in their kids mouths and prop them in front of the tv rather then spend the quality time with their kids that they need at their young age. Young kids are no different than puppies, they both need attention and plenty of exercise or they will channel that unspent energy in destructive ways like chewing on the furniture or acting up in class.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I meant that parents are just as much to blame for not wanting to give their kids the attention they need to keep them stimulated. Some parents would much rather pop a pill in their kids mouths and prop them in front of the tv rather then spend the quality time with their kids that they need at their young age. Young kids are no different than puppies, they both need attention and plenty of exercise or they will channel that unspent energy in destructive ways like chewing on the furniture or acting up in class.

But chewing on the furniture is FUN.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

So glad we have a market driven pharmaceutical industry! Also gotta show some love for the crackpot psychiatrists who push the pills.

Here's an idea for parents:

-Unplug the TV and computer cords

-Play outside with your kids

-Reduce your kids' sugar and processed food consumption

Guarantee there will be less ADHD/ADD "diagnoses".

I try to spen at least 2-3 hours every day outside swinging a bush hook,painting .

Best damn therapy in the world. Never felt better

When we were kids we played outside all day in creeks and woods.Slept good at night. I think low concentration high energy activities like clearing land or playing outside are good fer what is wrong with you

[Darnell 8,479]

Moms can get it done, sometimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xubDBhJxJqY

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Moms can get it done, sometimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xubDBhJxJqY

Hahahaha gota love her impression of rock and roll music.