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ADHD is a mental disorder that is commonly recognized in children. While some people think that because it is heavily diagnosed it is not an actual disorder, I believe that it is a real disorder that affects a large portion of the world, both in childhood and adulthood. Although there are cases in which this disorder has been misdiagnosed, I do not think this is reason enough to invalidate disorder itself. Overmedication in general as well as with ADHD is an issue with the western culture; people often choose to throw medications at issues rather than attempting to cure them through other means. Surveys have been taken of several large populations in the United States, and they have continually found that about 5 to 8 percent of children meet the criteria for ADHD and 4 to 5 percent of adults do as well. With such small percentage rates occurring even when the disorder has very common symptoms makes it hard to believe that ADHD is being over diagnosed as a mental disorder.
Many people believe that ADHD is a fad diagnosis that exists because many psychiatrists are being paid by drug companies to keep this disorder alive. Scientists have found large amounts of data that support the idea that ADHD is a biological disorder that exists within society. Many studies conclude that ADHD is influenced by genetics, and the differences in children with ADHD can be seen through a reflection of their IQ scores. Biederman, J., Fried, R., Petty, C., Mahoney, L., & Faraone, S. V. (2012) conducted a study where they observed the impacts of ADHD on IQ scores. They found that children with ADHD had, on average, a lower IQ than the control subjects. The study could not directly link this lower IQ score to ADHD but what it did prove was that there was a link between familial IQ scores and the IQ of children with ADHD. Their findings support the fact that ADHD exists in reality, and affects many people. There is also a smaller amount of white matter in the brains of children who have ADHD. The level of white matter even out once the patient is being treated for the disorder and they are put on medication. With these genetic and biological components present it becomes more difficult to believe that ADHD does not exist, and impossible to believe that treatment is not necessary.
In order to diagnose ADHD psychiatrists must assess whether or not the patient have the symptoms that are outlined in the DSM-IV. The most common symptoms are hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration, or impulsivity. Psychologists understand that almost every child has one or more of these symptoms at some point in their childhood. The DSM-IV corrects for this by requiring that these behaviors have to present themselves in such a way that they are not appropriate to the person’s age. The DSM-IV also specifies that the behaviors must present themselves before the age of 7 and continue for at least 6 months, and most importantly, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least 2 areas of a person’s life. Psychiatrists also look to see whether or not the behaviors that the child is exhibiting are affecting his or her performance in school and whether or not the behavior is extreme for the child. Without the aforementioned requirements being met, a child should not be diagnosed as having ADHD. This disorder cannot be accurately diagnosed without all of these prerequisites thus making it very hard for an individual to be misdiagnosed. Skeptics point out that many children have some of the symptoms required for a positive diagnosis without considering the other requirements that need to be met. This is why it is believed that ADHD is such a common diagnosis. With this understanding we can then see, if the appropriate steps are followed, it is fairly difficult to misdiagnose a patient as having ADHD.
Many people believe that ADHD is a fad diagnosis that exists because many psychiatrists are being paid by drug companies to keep this disorder alive. Scientists have found large amounts of data that support the idea that ADHD is a biological disorder that exists within society. Many studies conclude that ADHD is influenced by genetics, and the differences in children with ADHD can be seen through a reflection of their IQ scores. Biederman, J., Fried, R., Petty, C., Mahoney, L., & Faraone, S. V. (2012) conducted a study where they observed the impacts of ADHD on IQ scores. They found that children with ADHD had, on average, a lower IQ than the control subjects. The study could not directly link this lower IQ score to ADHD but what it did prove was that there was a link between familial IQ scores and the IQ of children with ADHD. Their findings support the fact that ADHD exists in reality, and affects many people. There is also a smaller amount of white matter in the brains of children who have ADHD. The level of white matter even out once the patient is being treated for the disorder and they are put on medication. With these genetic and biological components present it becomes more difficult to believe that ADHD does not exist, and impossible to believe that treatment is not necessary.
In order to diagnose ADHD psychiatrists must assess whether or not the patient have the symptoms that are outlined in the DSM-IV. The most common symptoms are hyperactivity, distractibility, poor concentration, or impulsivity. Psychologists understand that almost every child has one or more of these symptoms at some point in their childhood. The DSM-IV corrects for this by requiring that these behaviors have to present themselves in such a way that they are not appropriate to the person’s age. The DSM-IV also specifies that the behaviors must present themselves before the age of 7 and continue for at least 6 months, and most importantly, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least 2 areas of a person’s life. Psychiatrists also look to see whether or not the behaviors that the child is exhibiting are affecting his or her performance in school and whether or not the behavior is extreme for the child. Without the aforementioned requirements being met, a child should not be diagnosed as having ADHD. This disorder cannot be accurately diagnosed without all of these prerequisites thus making it very hard for an individual to be misdiagnosed. Skeptics point out that many children have some of the symptoms required for a positive diagnosis without considering the other requirements that need to be met. This is why it is believed that ADHD is such a common diagnosis. With this understanding we can then see, if the appropriate steps are followed, it is fairly difficult to misdiagnose a patient as having ADHD.
