Overdiagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is a syndrome of disordered learning and disruptive behavior that is not caused by any serious underlying physical or mental disorder and that has several subtypes characterized primarily by inattentiveness, primarily by hyperactivity and impulsive behavior, or by the significant expression of both.If the diagnosis of attention deficit disorder were as simple as saying that a child is bored and can not sit still, Einstein, Ted Turner, and Bill Gates could all have been considered to have had attention deficit disorder.
The fact is that ADD is overdiagnosed, and harmful medications used to treat the condition are overprescribed.
As a result, children who actually do have attention deficit disorder are left with the difficulty of getting the appropriate treatment and management they so desperately need.
One should remember that not every wiggle of a small child is a symptom of ADD.
Not only can other conditions mimic attention deficit disorder, but one could even say that some doctors are trying to medicate away what are essentially normal childhood behaviors.
One to two percent of adult men and women in the United States have been said to have attention deficit disorder, and three to ten percent of children are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder in the Untied States, with three quarters of them boys.
Teachers around the country routinely push pills on any students who are even a little inattentive or overactive.
Teachers are usually well meaning individuals who have the best interest of their students in mind. However, when they see students who are struggling to pay attention and concentrate, it is not their responsibility to diagnose the child. Instead, they should bring information to the parents' attention so that these can take appropriate action.
After the teacher provides sufficient information, the parents of the child need to have a full evaluation conducted outside the school.
There is evidence of widespread overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of attention deficit disorder and widespread overprescription of medications by physicians.
Because patients do not feel euphoria or develop tolerance or craving, there is little danger of drug abuse or addiction.
However, there is a big danger in using medications such as methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, and pemoline when treatment is not necessary.
Behavior therapy in a more formal sense may be useful to prevent a particular kind of aggressive or disruptive behavior that occurs in a few specific circumstances.
Providing more discipline along with other interventions can help improve the behavior of children with ADD.
For children who truly have attention deficit disorder, Ritalin and other medications have been very effective, but the drug is not at all effective for those who do not have the disorder. In fact, the drug only makes matters worse.