ADHD increasingly common in older kids, CDC says
July 23rd, 2008 By MIKE STOBBE , AP Medical Writer(AP) -- More older children are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder while the rate is holding steady for children under 12, according to a government report released Wednesday.
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I think it is often misdiagnosed, and absolutely is overmedicated for. In my case, in elementary school my teachers wanted to drug me up, but instead, my parents explained to me what they had found, and knowing the problem I was able to work through it. I have friends who weren't so lucky and have suffered through anything from zombie-like uncreative states common in these drugs to being so doped they couldn't tell the passage of time, to sleep disorders in adulthood.
ADHD is real. Too often it's assumed because kids are kids and with the old school system we're trying to pound round pegs into square holes, so drugs make them better robots. And ultimately, we need to reel in the pharmaceutical companies a bit better and regain control from their marketing onslaught (I mean... advertising prescription drugs to end-users. How responsible is that? "Hi doc, the TV told me I need Prozac!")
As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Some kids need medication, many diagnosed with ADHD or ADD don't, and many of those are misdiagnosed.