Rates of ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, have risen sharply in children over the past decade, according to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While about 4.4 million children between the ages of 4 and 17 had ADHD in 2003, the figure rose to about 6.4 million children by 2011. Given the population as of 2011, these figures indicate that about 11% of children are diagnosed with ADHD. About 66% of children with the diagnosis receive prescription medication to treat it.
Researchers surveyed almost 96,000 parents across the country by phone, asking questions about whether their children were currently diagnosed with ADHD, whether they’d been diagnosed with it previously, and whether they were taking any medication to treat the disorder.
Researchers found that about 80% of the children diagnosed with ADHD in the past continued to carry the diagnosis. While children with ADHD are typically thought of as disruptive and in constant motion, it’s important to remember that some children with the condition are very quiet and reserved yet inattentive.
ADHD Risk Varies by State
Some states had very different ADHD diagnosis rates than others. Only 4% of teens in Nevada have ADHD, while the same is true of about 15% of teens in Arkansas. Children from families who speak English as a primary language were a staggering four times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD as children from non-English-speaking families. Children from families with less income were also more likely to have an ADHD diagnosis.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the way that ADHD prevalence breaks down across gender lines. About 1 out of every 11 girls has ADHD, while the same is true of 1 of 5 boys.
The Importance of Early Treatment
According to Susanna Visser, one of the lead researchers behind the study and an epidemiologist with the CDC, early treatment of ADHD is the best way to prevent it from negatively impacting a child’s personal relationships, school performance, learning and behavior. Dr. Visser recommends behavioral therapy as an initial line of treatment for preschoolers with a diagnosis of ADHD. Medication may also be used as prescribed by the child’s pediatrician.
Despite the findings of the study, researchers aren’t sure exactly what’s on the rise: actual cases of ADHD, or the ability of doctors and parents to recognize its symptoms and diagnose it. In other words, it’s possible that actual ADHD rates in 2003 were the same as they are today, but that many children went undiagnosed a decade ago. Supporting this notion is the fact that parents that are more knowledgable about ADHD are also more likely to have a child with ADHD.
However, researchers believe that other factors could be at play as well. Some studies have shown that children with ADHD have genetic differences in comparison to children without ADHD, and exposure to certain environmental factors may increase the risk of developing ADHD as well.
The Bottom Line
Rates of ADHD among children are rising rapidly, according to a new report from the CDC published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
