Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

This information is from the CDC, much of the data is from 2007....the number of people being diagnosed and medicated has been growing at roughly 5.5% a year since 2003..  There is no reason to believe this has slowed any since 2007.  Therefore if you see a number like two million the current number is likely to be closer to two and a half million..   If something says 10% the current percenage might be closer to 12 1/2 %

The numbers only include ADHD patients diagnosed with ADD get the same meds. 
That means these numbers only tell part of the story

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Data & Statistics
In the United States

• The American Psychiatric Association states in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) that 3%-7% of school-aged children have ADHD. 1 However, studies have estimated higher rates in community samples.
• Recent data from surveys of parents indicate that:
  [Read article]
  
  • Approximately 9.5% or 5.4 million children 4-17 years of age have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, as of 2007.
  • The percentage of children with a parent-reported ADHD diagnosis increased by 22% between 2003 and 2007.
  • Rates of ADHD diagnosis increased an average of 3% per year from 1997 to 2006 [Read article ] and an average of 5.5% per year from 2003 to 2007.
  • Boys (13.2%) were more likely than girls (5.6%) to have ever been diagnosed with ADHD.
  • Rates of ADHD diagnosis increased at a greater rate among older teens as compared to younger children.
  • The highest rates of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis were noted among children covered by Medicaid and multiracial children.
  • Prevalence of parent-reported ADHD diagnosis varied substantially by state, from a low of 5.6% in Nevada to a high of 15.6% in North Carolina.

 State-based Prevalence Data of ADHD Diagnosis (2007-2008)

Medication Treatment

[Read article]

• As of 2007, 2.7 million youth ages 4-17 years (66.3% of those with a current diagnosis) were receiving medication treatment for the disorder. [Read article]
• Rates of medication treatment for ADHD varied by age and sex; children aged 11-17 years of age were more likely than those 4-10 years of age to take medication, and boys are 2.8 times more likely to take medication than girls [Read article]
• In 2003, geographic variability in prevalence of medication treatment ranged from a low of 2.1% in California to a high of 6.5% in Arkansas. [Read article]

Diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disability: United States, 2004-2006

[Read article ]

About 5% of children had ADHD without Learning Disability (LD), 5% had LD without ADHD, and 4% had both conditions.

Children 12-17 years of age were more likely than children 6-11 years of age to have each of the diagnoses.

Hispanic children were less likely than non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic black children to have ADHD (with and without LD).

Children with Medicaid were more likely than uninsured children or privately insured children to have each of the diagnoses.

Children with each of the diagnoses were more likely than children with neither ADHD nor LD to have other chronic health conditions.

Children with ADHD (with and without LD) were more likely than children without ADHD to have contact with a mental health professional, use prescription medication, and have frequent health care visits.

Peer Relationships

[Read article]

• Parents of children with a history of ADHD report almost 3 times as many peer problems as those without a history of ADHD (21.1% vs. 7.3%).
• Parents report that children with a history of ADHD are almost 10 times as likely to have difficulties that interfere with friendships (20.6% vs. 2.0%).

Injury

• A higher percentage of parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder reported non-fatal injuries (4.5% vs. 2.5% for healthy children). [Read article]
• Children with ADHD, compared to children without ADHD, were more likely to have major injuries (59% vs. 49%), hospital inpatient (26% vs. 18%), hospital outpatient (41% vs. 33%), or emergency department admission (81% vs. 74%). [Read article]
• Data from international samples suggest that young people with high levels of attentional difficulties are at greater risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash, drinking and driving, and traffic violations. [Read article]

Economic Cost

• Using a prevalence rate of 5%, the annual societal ‘‘cost of illness’’ for ADHD is estimated to be between $36 and $52 billion, in 2005 dollars. It is estimated to be between $12,005 and $17,458 annually per individual. [Read article]
• There were an estimated 7 million ambulatory care visits for ADHD in 2006. [Read article ]
• The total excess cost of ADHD in the US in 2000 was $31.6 billion. Of this total, $1.6 billion was for the treatment of patients, $12.1 billion was for all other health care costs of persons with ADHD, $14.2 billion was for all other health care costs of family members with ADHD, and $3.7 billion was for the work loss cost of adults with ADHD and adult family members of persons with ADHD. [Read article]
• ADHD creates a significant financial burden regarding the cost of medical care and work loss for patients and family members. The annual average direct cost for each per ADHD patient was $1,574, compared to $541 among matched controls. The annual average payment (direct plus indirect cost) per family member was $2,728 for non-ADHD family members of ADHD patients versus $1,440 for family members of matched controls. [Read article]
• Across 10 countries, it was projected that ADHD was associated with 143.8 million lost days of productivity each year. Most of this loss can be attributed to ADHD and not co-occurring conditions. [Read article]
• Workers with ADHD were more likely to have at least one sick day in the past month compared to workers without ADHD. [Read article]

 Related Pages

• Child Development
• Positive Parenting Tips
• Healthcare Providers
• Injury, Violence, and Safety
• Safe and Healthy Kids and Teens
• CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

 Footnotes:

1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR. Washington: American Psychiatric Association, 2000.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) TTY: (888) 232-6348, 24 Hours/Every Day - cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Ritalin: The jury remains out

Sandra in Brevard
Grumpy Educators

In a study funded by Irish pharmaceutical Shire, a manufacturer of ADHD drugs, University of Pennsylvania researchers determined that kids who take medication for ADHD are “at no greater risk for heart problems than kids not taking ADHD medications.” The lead researcher says the findings of the study should "reassure parents that drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall aren’t associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events." However, the researchers noted that "it was not possible to definitely rule out an association between ADHD drugs and increased rates of heart problems."

On the other hand, Dr. Steven Lipshultz, professor and chair of pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is concerned these published results may be misinterpreted. HealthDay Reporter Steven Reinberg interviewed Lipshultz and presented his evaluation of the study this way:

"

This study wasn't able to look carefully at where the major concerns are," he added.

The study did not specifically separate those children with heart disease from others, Lipshultz said, adding that the FDA's greatest concern was with the use of these medications in patients with underlying heart disease. In fact, the drugs may be contraindicated for such children, he said.

These drugs are a great benefit to children with ADHD, Lipshultz said. "On the other hand, there are still considerable safety concerns about the use of stimulant therapy in children, especially children with underlying health conditions," he said.

In 2007, the FDA ordered manufacturers of ADHD drugs to produce a "medication guide to alert doctors and parents" of heart-related risks associated with these medications. The results of FDA directed research on these risks are forth-coming. Manufacturer Shire supports the "careful medical evaluation of cardiovascular risk by physicians for patients diagnosed with ADHD as they seek appropriate treatment."

Fifteen years ago, Dr. Lawrence H. Diller, wrote a book “Running on Ritalin” describing what he viewed as an over-diagnosis of ADHD and over prescription of Ritalin and similar drugs to many children “who would respond well to family therapy and tailed programs and routines at home and at school.”
“Diller warned that as harried parents, teachers and physicians attached the ADHD label to more and more children who were dreamy, unmotivated, forgetful, restless, impulsive or distractible, the nation's tolerance for children's natural temperamental variance would narrow. Instead of helping children work around weaknesses and choose strategies and paths that played to their strengths, society's growing inclination to medicate them, Diller cautioned, could turn many into lifelong patients.”

Diller has just released a new book, “Remembering Ritalin”, in which he describes the lives of ten of his former patients now adults.

Watch one of those former patients from www.rememberingritalin.com website

Where Real Reform Must Start

Sandra found this interesting video and posted it first on Grumpy Educators..

Warning... this is a fast moving moving video



From Ken Robinson's Website
There is a paradox. As children, most of us think we are highly creative; as adults many of us think we are not. What changes as children grow up? Organizations across the globe are competing in a world that is changing faster than ever. They say they need people who can think creatively, who are flexible and quick to adapt. Too often they say they can't find them. Why not?

Why is it essential to promote creativity

What's the problem?

What can be done about it

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My Grandson, Tyler

Most regular readers remember when Madpole, a Grumpy Member lost his Grandson Tyler early the morning after Christmas. Tyler's Grandmother, Madpole's wife has a story to tell, and a warning for every parent and grandparent.  

My grandson was a very energetic, happy, fun-loving 8 year old boy. He loved life and enjoyed riding his bike and playing video games. When he was in preschool, the teacher’s talked his mother into putting him on ADHD medication for behavioral control. She asked our opinion on the matter, and we told her no, that was not a good idea, but in the end, the teacher’s won out and he was put on meds. During winter breaks, spring breaks and summer breaks, we took him off the meds. This past summer was no different. When school resumed, my son had to put him back on the meds because the school required it (he was too energetic for the teacher, they did not want to have to keep telling him to stay on task).

He went to the doctor to try and get different medication because the current stuff he was on was having adverse effects in his ability to control his bowel movements. The doctor prescribed a different medication, but never told my son exactly what it was or the dangers of this particular medication. His Medicaid had expired because of the transfer from his mother’s case to my son’s case and his medication ran out. He was off the meds for about a month before the insurance was corrected. During this time, his teacher would wave us down when we picked him up at the end of the day and ask when he was getting back on the meds. She wanted to know if there was anything the school could do to help get him back on meds. She did this several times over the course of the month, begging and pleading with us to put him on the ADHD medication.

The insurance was corrected and he started taking the new meds. This was in November. He was on this new medication for about 6 weeks. We stopped giving it to him when the winter break came. He had a wonderful Christmas day, opening presents and playing with his new toys. When he went to sleep that night, we had no idea that he was not going to be with us in the morning. He lost his life overnight and I will never forget what the school did to him. He was forced to be put on these meds by the school and I know that’s what took his life that night.

Teachers should not be allowed to force the children who are under their care for 6-7 hours a day to be put on medication. If you have a room full of energetic kids, do you dope them up so they will sit still? If that is what a teacher wants out of their classroom, they should be teaching high school. Young children are energetic and should not be held back just because a school decides that it’s easier to teach if the kids sit still.

My grandson lost his life, not because of something he chose to do, not because of something that we chose to do, but because of something that his school required because he was energetic and they did not want to have to keep working with him. How many other children’s parents are going through this same thing? How many other teacher’s are begging and forcing the parents to put their kids on meds so they have a quiet room to teach? How many more deaths to kids before the schools change their policy?

I did some research and found out that 147 kids lost their life to this medication that my grandson was on over the last 10 years. Out of those, almost 80% died in the first 6 months of taking this medication. Is that an acceptable loss? Apparently so, they are still prescribing it. How does a parent know if their kid is going to survive or not? Why do doctors prescribe this medication if they are unsure about it? Is there a kickback to the doctor’s if they prescribe it? Also, with the schools, do they get extra financing if more kids are on medication? I think they do, they must, why else would they want to robotize our children?

Parents, you must know what you are giving your children. Do some research, ask around. Talk with other parents. Do not ask the doctor, and do not ask the teacher. They are working together to dumb down our children and maybe even take their life.

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I sent Tylers Grandmother a note asking if she wanted me to post her story

I received this reply

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Grumpy, yes, I would be very honored if you would post this story on your site. It was very hard to write, but I wanted to try and get the word out. Parents are giving this stuff to their kids without any knowledge about the dangers of it. There are supposed to be tests run by the doctor before they prescribe it. There are also supposed to be "Black-Box" warning labels on these medications. That is not being done. Something has to stop this madness. These pharmaceutical companies are making a mint off the drugging of mostly American children. The schools dare to promote "Say No to Drugs" when they are requiring that children take drugs (medication) to control their behavior. Does that make sense?

Thank you for posting this for me. I hope some parent out there gets the message before it's too late for their family. 
 

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Grumpy Note

 

I know first hand how easy it is to get a doctor to write a perscription..  I had my grandson at the doctors office one day, we we're talking, I happened to mention he'd gotten into a little scuffle at school..  He was seven at the time.  Seven Year old boys have been getting into occassional shoving matches as long as there have been seven year old boys.

 

The first thing out of the doctors mouth was "I can give you a perscription"


I told the doctor I could give him a gentle smack where God provided the spot.. (not..... exactly in those words)

 
New Information

Someone I know and repect saw Debbie's story and sent me an email roughly an hour ago (1:30 pm). in the email was a link to Fight for Kids.. an organization dedicated to preventing the misuse of these drugs.  Here is link, it contains a great deal of relevant information

   http://www.fightforkids.org/what_you_can_do.php