Misuse of medication

Children, and boys in particular, are being diagnosed with Attention Deficite Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and drugged at an alarming rate. This rate is increasing, which is prompting an increase in the sales of drugs for treat the conditon. In the United States, for example, sales of ADHD drugs have increased by 89% in four years. The rapidly rising diagnoses rate suggests one of three things is occuring:

1. A higher proportion of people have ADHD than in the past
2. There are a higher proportion of false diagnoses than in the past
3. The definition of ADHD is changing rapidly

Any of these should be a concern to parents who have received a diagnoses for ADHD for their child and a recommendation to medicate. A rapidly changing definition could mean that a diagnosis is true in a legal sense but false in a practical sense.

External Links

• The Drugging of the American Boy

References

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