ADHD Cases among American Children Going Up

The number of American children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has gone up considerably in the recent past, researchers say.

ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects children. According to previous records, nearly one in 11 American children suffers from the disorder that cannot be fully cured and lasts into adulthood.

Children with ADHD face problems in paying attention, have trouble in controlling impulsive behaviors (acting without thinking about the consequences), and tend to be hyper active. An early identification and treatment of ADHD is important, as the disorder can have a negative impact on learning and academic development.

The current study, conducted by a team of researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) Medical Group, looked at patient medical records that included information about the children who underwent treatment at KPSC between 2001 and 2010. They found more than 840,000 children aged between five and 11 receiving care at the center during the period, and of the total, 39,200 (4.9 percent) children receiving an ADHD diagnosis.

Researchers also found the disorder affecting white (5.6 percent) and black children (4.1 percent) more than children from other ethnic groups. First-time ADHD diagnoses also saw a 24 percent increase from 2001 (2.5 percent) to 2010 (3.1 percent).

The authors also found boys at a three time higher risk of the disorder than girls. Apart from that, children from rich families (household income of more than $30,000 a year) were found at higher risks of being diagnosed with ADHD than children from poor families.

"Our study findings suggest that there may be a large number of factors that affect ADHD diagnosis rates, including cultural factors that may influence the treatment-seeking behavior of some groups," study lead author Dr. Darios Getahun said in a news release."These findings are particularly solid given that our study relied on clinical diagnoses of ADHD based on the criteria specified within the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and that it represents a large and ethnically diverse population that can be generalized to other populations."

The study is published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.