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by Answerbag Staff on March 17th, 2010

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Is ADD overdiagnosed in children?

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  • by Tamiya King on March 17th, 2010

    Answerbag Experts

    Great Answer

    Professionally Researched. (What's this?)

    On One Hand: ADD Is Overdiagnosed

    Some doctors, including Fred Baughman, MD, believe that ADD is diagnosed far too often as a disease, when the condition shows no physical abnormality in children. Baughman believes that it is inaccurate to speak about possible neurological causes of ADD and ADHD in children, and believes too many children are labeled with the condition.

    On the Other: ADD Is Not Overdiagnosed

    ADHD expert Eileen Bailey acknowledges that the ADD/ADHD diagnoses, because they are subjective, may appear to be overdiagnosed but they are not. The main symptoms of the condition include impulsive behavior and hyperactivity. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders also states that symptoms of ADHD have to be present in children in at least two environments, and most young people diagnosed have trouble both at home and at school.

    Bottom Line

    ADD/ADHD is a real condition, but may be overdiagnosed in children who show any type of hyperactive behavior. It is not medically a disease, but can lead to changes in the brain.

    Source:

    Opposing Views: Is ADHD/ADD Overdiagnosed in America?

    More Information:

    ADD in Children

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  • by Brian I on January 17th, 2011

    Brian I

    It seems to me that a system that requires patients or their insurers to pay individually the full cost of all treatment is likely to over diagnose a great many conditions.

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  • by AB is an asylum run by the inmates, ciao! on January 18th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    AB is an asylum run by the inmates, ciao!

    It is an easier to sedate children than it is to actually teach them.

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  • by Don Gorgeous George on January 5th, 2010
    voted: Yes

    Don Gorgeous George

    Yeah. Its true that some kids have a harder time paying attention in class, but there almost always is something simple that can be changed in that child's life such as diet which can help solve the problem. It is my belief that the over diagnosis of ADHD/ADD is stemmed from the greed of the pharmaceutical companies.

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  • by A on January 17th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    A

    In my opinion, yes. It seems like if a child gets the least bit excited or gets just a little bit distracted these days, it must be because he or she has ADHD or ADD. Are children not allowed to enjoy themselves anymore? Are children not ALLOWED to be children anymore?

    Stories from personal experience:

    I recently met a guy who was just enjoying himself at a birthday party -- and another woman there told me he can can get away with doing stuff like that because he has "ADHD". Well, first of all, he was behaving like a NORMAL boy. His mother was trying to stop him from having fun.

    A boyfriend of mine in the past is diagnosed with ADHD. I find that he just likes to have fun and enjoy himself. Sure, he gets distracted easily and all that, but he is also able to make his own decisions.

    A friend of mine claims to have ADHD (I'm pretty sure it's ADHD anyway), but I think she's fine. She has a wide variety of interests and she is open to having fun. I actually enjoy hanging out with her quite a lot because she's really easygoing and easy to talk to.

    I'm sure there have been more stories that are not coming up at the top of my head right now. To me, many ADHD/ADD cases are simply labels that deny personality traits that are not wrong to have in the first place.

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  • by Banana Breath plays the piano on January 21st, 2011

    Banana Breath plays the piano

    The diagnosis of ADD is a code phrase for "student who doesn't act like a middle aged woman." Middle aged women teachers indeed don't like young boisterous kids who don't act like them, and pressure parents to do something about it. But the desires young people have to move, to think, to question, to speak... are not things that should be suppressed.

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  • by The Chief on January 20th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    The Chief

    The answer is "yes".

    However, this does not mean that ADHD is NOT a real problem.

    Most assumptions/diagnosis of children as ADHD isn't because of a real biological problem. It's the inherent nature of children. Parent's need to understand this and not only learn to deal with it, but give children appropriate avenues to deal with it as well.

    Children are NOT adults, behaviorally speaking. And many people apply adult behavioral patterns to children, which they will then fail to meet.

    The problem is at least two-fold:

    1. Diagnosis, as noted above, is highly subjective. (Ironicaly, it's subjective nature is noted under the "NO" opinion.)

    2. Some people look for an easy way to deal with the issue, thus pursuing medical treatments to make life easier.

    Again, this is not to say that there is no ADHD problem. Just that, in my opinion, many diagnosis of ADHD aren't really warranted.

    And before you view the following...take it as humor, not an endorsement.

    :):)

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  • by Sodapop on January 19th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    Sodapop

    I disagree that it isn't a disorder, but I do believe that it is over-diagnosed.

    Some changes cause teenagers to act in a way that would make someone believe they have the disorder. Going through puberty can give you a huge spike in energy and restlessness. It can make you make risky decisions and lose focus. That isn't what the disorder is, that's just puberty changing the structure of your mind affecting your actions.

    I think that pushed enough, doctors will give a patient whatever they want and tell them whatever they want to hear. If there wasn't a profit to be made from the practice it wouldn't be such a problem.

    Regardless ADHD and ADD are both real disorders that should be treated and worked with. Before you start drugging children with Ritalin turning them into walking zombies you should be sure it isn't a side-effect of the changes their own body may be experiencing at the time. It could only be temporary, but flooding your body with a stimulant will not be. It stunts growth, can damage brain functions and may even have addictive qualities like many other drugs. Is this really what you would want as a first choice for your child?

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  • by   on January 18th, 2011
    voted: Yes

     

    Yes, it is. Oh look! A squirrel!

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  • by Nemo_S on January 20th, 2011
    voted: No

    Nemo_S

    I don't think it is over diagnosed quiet the opposite and I don't think medicating is the answer either since it is apparent that there is something in the environment that is triggering these conditions so the real solution is to identify the triggers and fix the environment if possible ..

    ~Nemo~

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  • by ila on January 20th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    ila

    I have worked with two kids with ADD as a teacher - both the hyperactive and the hypoactive type. This was in the 80s in the Czech Republic. They were in a special school for kids with intellectual deficiencies, but neither of them was on medication. The disorder is for real; it was a real challenge to teach them, but it was manageable. My strategy was to let the hyperactive one release his energy - I would have him run around the class when it got really bad, and when he calmed down and was ready to absorb some new material, I would give an assignment to others and work with him for a while one-on-one.

    I do think that some kids with ADHD benefit from medication, but the disorder is grossly over-diagnosed. I think in many cases, kids get out of control because their parents don't set clear boundaries, don't correct undesirable behavior, and don't allow their kids to be active/go outside and play/exercise. Some of these kids then tend to be hyper and act out, and Ritalin is a quick fix. I think it's irresponsible on the part of the parents, the doctors and pharmaceutical companies that are just pushing their drugs.

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  • by KikiSpaghetti on January 18th, 2011

    KikiSpaghetti

    While I do believe the issue of diagnosis is a problem, I don't necessarily think its the RIGHT kids who are being diagnosed. True AD/HD is a neurological disorder that stems from brain dysfunctions that affect brain shape, chemistry and activity; simply not being able to focus is a small aspect of the disorder. Its normal to not pay attention to things as a child, as even the most "mature" young ones day dream, and to label THAT as a disorder is ludicrous. Simply putting your child on Ritalin will not fix that fact. On the other side, while some parents put their children on medication needlessly out of laziness and the pratice is pushed for profit reasons, some kids and adults (and yes, it can carry on into adulthood) are honestly suffering from a brain abnormality and the focus on simply the attention is pushing these individuals to the sideline. We need to stop focusing on the lack of focus and see that there is more to the disorder than meets the eye.

    (Note; only after rigerous testing was I formally diagnosed, so I do not fall into the I just don't pay attention group; surveys to teachers, my parents, friends etc. were all given out to confirm the test results taken from the lab. Also, if you truly have AD/HD, your brain chemistry makes it so that Ritalin (and other medications like it), which is a stimulant, calms you down, while someone with normal brain chemistry will become more jittery. Fun fact.)

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  • by Anonymous on January 30th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    Anonymous

    In my experience much of the over diagnosed ADD/ADHD can be attrbuted to poor diet and lack of motivation. Why is it that a child can't focus for two minutes on homework, but can play video games for hours on end?

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  • by Random on January 20th, 2011

    Random

    i think adderall increases attention span and performance in school in general even if you don't have ADHD....as to whether or not it should be given...personally, i wish i had taken it during high school, myself being a high school dropout.

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  • by humphery_duke on January 19th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    humphery_duke

    i think there is a lot of doctors over diagnosing disorders. it makes them money and keeps the pharmaceutical reps happy. i believe in most cases it is really bad parenting. As a society we are to quick to pawn our kids off to tv and video games. i remember watching a video about the the difference in education of American kids verse those of Japanese.there seem to be a correlation between how well a kid did in school versus how active the parents where in their children s education. a lot of the American parents didnt want to give up their time to go to parent teacher meeting and would rather go to their bowling leagues. it may not be 100 % true that this is the reason why the US claims to have fallen behind in education but it is something to think about.i think we are to quick to pawn our problems off on someone else, seems to be the American way anymore.

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  • by Anonymous on January 17th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    Anonymous

    Although I feel that it is a condition, I think that the true form of it is in a smaller percentage of children. But while we are talking about truth, I can also say that people can say they have it as an excuse to not do any work.

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  • by 123elementary on February 3rd, 2011

    123elementary

    Parents have had lives which did not prepare them for parenthood.

    Both children and Parents consume and breath all kinds of chemicals.

    Man knows these things are having a detrimental affect, but the almighty dollar allows him to ignore them.

    If we had clean fresh air and natural, uncontaminated, food and water, I doubt we'd see any of these problems.

    Those who need a clip over the ear are the evil leaders of industry, the power seekers, the rich and greedy, because they're the cause of the manufacture of all our children's and societies problems, as they exploit people and destroy our environment, more and more each day.

    Do not blame the children, it's adults who are responsible for all the problems on this planet.

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  • by J.P113 on February 2nd, 2011
    voted: Yes

    J.P113

    Yes, It get's kids more active, because they can't sit still. But sometimes it can be really annoying

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  • by Bo-Dingles on March 20th, 2010

    Bo-Dingles

    Heck, yes. I think that kids were tired of taking responsibility for their own actions, that one lucky kid told his doctor to make up a medical term for being immature, and it was accepted as a fact of medical research. I understand that little kids have trouble paying attention to things, but that's a normal kid for you. Spanking has always worked for my mom and dad, and it worked for me. I turned out okay.

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  • by Gwa_D on February 7th, 2011

    Gwa_D

    Nobody seems to look for other answers these days. Non-conforming children are born that way, not because there is a problem with the brain, it is because they do not know who they are. A lot of Indigo children suffer with ADHT, Asperger's Syndrome, and other learning difficulties. Without the help from parents, Indigo's may go down the wrong path. But deep down, they have the knowledge to turn the world around. I've just found out that I'm an Indigo adult, and now I know why I think so differently on the world and do not wish to conform to the norm. Meditation is so so harmful to these special children. And don't bother asking a psychiatrist what an Indigo Child is, most of them are ignorant and are paid huge amounts of money to get people hooked on drugs. I'm not saying ALL of them, but most of them.

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  • by Perryman on February 7th, 2011
    voted: No

    Perryman

    After following the website, I would have to say that it is UNDERdiagnosed in America!

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  • by wannabegeekTC on January 30th, 2011
    voted: No

    wannabegeekTC

    I agree with Nemo...having worked for 6 years with special needs kids, emotionally disturbed kids and high-performing kids....there are a lot of people with special needs out there...
    Look at how Autism has grown...it is not just the diagnosis methods, our environment is full of toxins. Also, as many natural paths believe, a small (difficult to detect) amount of toxin can have a large impact on one's health.

    It's confusing issue because of the desire to medicate, the profit involved, bad parenting, the screwed up society we live in....

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  • by reece.olesen2 on March 15th, 2012
    voted: No

    reece.olesen2

    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder. It is characterized primarily by "the co-existence of attentional problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone" and symptoms starting before seven years of age.

    ADHD is the most commonly studied and diagnosed psychiatric disorder in children, affecting about 3 to 5 percent of children globally and diagnosed in about 2 to 16 percent of school aged children. It is a chronic disorder with 30 to 50 percent of those individuals diagnosed in childhood continuing to have symptoms into adulthood. Adolescents and adults with ADHD tend to develop coping mechanisms to compensate for some or all of their impairments It is estimated that 4.7 percent of American adults live with ADHD. Standardized rating scales such as the World Health Organization's Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale can be used for ADHD screening and assessment of the disorder's symptoms' severity.
    i know about this because i have it. i was diagnosed with at the age of 8 because my mom didnt know anything about it. then i went to a doctor Ellie C, and he told everything i needed to know and things that might happen in my past. so i say to this.

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  • by navyboy on February 24th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    navyboy

    Strange that it seems America mostly has this problem.
    I lived in Europe for over 10 years and never once did I hear of any kid getting put on meds for ADHD.
    It's a crock of shit to sell drugs.

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  • by CbearAlph on January 21st, 2012
    voted: Yes

    CbearAlph

    I should know because i really have ADD and it is HARD! I'm often confused and scince every body seems to have it no one is really there to help me. I have to take medication in order to pay attention and if anybody who doesn't have ADD/ADHD will have a heart attack!

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  • by suicidalguy918 on January 23rd, 2011

    suicidalguy918

    i feel that their are 2 forms of ADD/ADHD theres the more common lack of discipline or parenting where parents just threw their child in front a of a television instead of taking them outside or starting a sport which is just a child acting up because they dont know any better they get away with murder then theirs real ADD/ADHD where there is a chemical inbalance due to birth or heredity or other reasons more practical i have been thought to have the latter because i was always doing sports as a child but i just had a problem focusing in class and i would NEVER want to read not even the occasional sign on the road ADD and ADHD is mostly a parent saying i didnt parent my child the television did doctor fix it cuz im too lazy or "busy" fake ADD and ADHD would be less frequent if people who didnt have time to parent didnt have kids if your not going to take responsibility and raise your child KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS! i was never diagnosed and couldnt get help because my family didnt want me labeled as the "special kid" and go into lower classes instead i was forced into higher classes and learned to cope which is a real cure so answer is in most cases yes its a made up "disease"

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  • by Anonymous on January 17th, 2011
    voted: No

    Anonymous

    If these kids have this condition and medication will help then I say go for it! As far as being ADD or ADHD being overdiagnosed I feel that there is a difference between being misdiagnosed and overdiagnosed. I guess that is a case by case matter instead of a generalization.

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  • by Christine on January 18th, 2011

    Christine

    Probably. I am sure I'd be diagnosed with ADD if I asked the right doctor, but I won't ask.

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  • by beancrisp on January 19th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    beancrisp

    Since ADD/ADHD does not exist just one person being diagnosed would make it over diagnosed.

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  • by Temporary Name on January 17th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    Temporary Name

    ADD is such stupid bullshit nonsense! If anything those kids get too much sugar but it is much more likely that their tired and burned out parents do not have the energy to raise their kids properly any more.
    Kids are supposed to be super-active and being easily distracted. It's just what kids do!

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  • by Anonymous on January 22nd, 2011
    voted: No

    Anonymous

    its not that its over diagnosed, its that kids just think they got it and try to act professional and diagnose themselves

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  • by Jessica on January 18th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    Jessica

    Yeah, most kids are just very hyperactive, like my sister was, and between a certain age for her, my parents had to avoid feeding her certain foods (apple juice, McDonald's french fries was a BIGGIE, sugar in general). Now all parents think that if their child continually misbehaves and is constantly bouncing off the walls, then the only acceptable conclusion is that they are ADD/ADHD, instead of looking at the more logical answer: that perhaps you just have a very overactive child. I feel like parents find it easier to say "He has ADHD, excuse his behaviour." than accepting that your child is very hyper and hard to manage, because they are scared of looking like a bad parent. Loading up your kids with drugs is not the way. Hyperactive has run in my family. My grandma was a hyper kid, my mother was, and so was my sister. My grandmother made my mother take Ritalin and my mother hated it and said it did her no good, so instead, when she had my sister, know what she did instead if loading her up with drugs? My parents enroled her in a sport: figure skating, too spur off her excess energy, something where she could skate around all she wanted and by the ride home she'd be falling asleep, and they also had to avoid certain over sugary foods. A good chunk of these kids are probably just very hyper kids with a lot of pent-up energy, and unfortunately, instead of finding a way to use up this energy, their parents load them up with drugs and they are labelled as "ADD" forever. Pretty sad actually.

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  • by skep on January 23rd, 2011
    voted: Yes

    skep

    For a competent diagnosis involving human behavior and the body, only a competent psychistrist can make an informed decision as to treatment.
    Narcotics is almost always N O T the effective treatment. This is merely "treating" the symptoms, not the disorder, if any.

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  • by thatsJustme on January 24th, 2011
    voted: Yes

    thatsJustme

    I think the biggest fault of all this drugging lies with the drs. and pharmecueticals...they do not stress the facts or dangers enough....all nerve meds. end up destroying nerves and the nervous system , in men, women and children....if not other organs before so....none of these are really supposed to be used over certain periods of time.....after that, it becomes a have to use to function because the ability to function on own is destroyed by dependance on drugs to do it for them....it is especially sad for young children whose abilties are SHOT by teens and they depend on drugs to function....

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