Anyone else disturbed by this?
One in 10 North Carolina Kids Given ADHD Status Mon Feb 4, 1:24 PM ET
By Jacqueline Stenson
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As many as 10% of North Carolina school children have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and many of those youngsters are taking medication for the condition, researchers report.
This percentage is significantly higher than national estimates of 3% to 5%. Yet the new report, as well as a handful of other regional studies, indicate that ADHD diagnosis and treatment may be much more common than previously thought, the investigators note.
“We found that 10% of elementary school children…had received a diagnosis of ADHD by a doctor or psychologist and 7% of the children were being treated for ADHD with medication,” study author Dr. Andrew Rowland told Reuters Health.
The new findings “make me question whether the 3% to 5% figure could possibly be valid,” said Rowland, an epidemiologist at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, who conducted the study while at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The results add fuel to ongoing concerns that too many youngsters are being treated for the disorder.
“Medication treatment often is very helpful for children who have ADHD,” Rowland said. “But on the other hand, if it’s not followed up well and the diagnosis is not made according to standardized criteria, that’s when you start to have problems.”
Symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that can lead to academic underachievement and troubled family relationships.
In the study, conducted from 1997 to 1999, parents of 6,099 children in grades 1 through 5 at 17 public elementary schools in Johnston County, North Carolina, completed a survey asking them whether their children had ever been diagnosed with ADHD and whether they were currently taking medication to treat the disorder.
Results published in the February issue of the American Journal of Public Health, journal of the American Public Health Association, showed that 607 children, or 10%, had been diagnosed with ADHD and 434, or 7%, were taking Ritalin or other treatment medication.
Boys were three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls, and both sexes were about equally likely to receive medication after diagnosis. However, black and Hispanic children received fewer prescriptions than white youngsters, perhaps because they had less access to healthcare, the researchers suggest.
Johnston County has both rural and urban areas, and its ethnic population is similar to that of most of North Carolina, according to Rowland. As a result, he said, the findings probably apply to the rest of the state and perhaps neighboring states in the South as well.
He said his findings are in line with other regional studies, such as a 1995 Virginia study showing that 8% to 10% of young school children were taking medication for ADHD.
However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), a book widely used by doctors to diagnose mental illnesses, estimates the prevalence of ADHD at 3% to 5%, Rowland noted. The problem, he said, is that solid national data on ADHD do not exist.
“We really need other studies like ours and national monitoring data to know whether the experience we saw is unusual,” Rowland said. “Having that information is important for understanding the dimensions of the impact of ADHD.”
Re: ADHD in NC
Yes, what I found to be disturbing was very similar to what you highlighted. It is so hard sometimes to understand why studies achieve their conclusions when you do not have adequate biographical information on the lead researchers (everyone has a personal agenda in matters of social science).
What is not explained very well by this study:
Are the children identified in the targetted population as ADHD confirmed diagnosies?
Does this represent a cluster due to some unidentied local trigger?
Does the excessively high (seemingly anyway) number of affected children represent over/mis diagnosies by (well meaning?) local docotrs who may not have the necessary experience/knowledge to make a true assessment?
I am disturbed that
1) this might actually represent the macro, and that ADD/ADHD is far more prevalent than we currently think (the 3-5% is accepted by NIH, CDC, AAP, and NEA as being fairly accurate, whether it is or not is a separate debate);
2) that it is not an accurate figure, and these children have been labeled and medicated for a condition that they do not really have (and how often is this going on as well in this country?);
and 3) why was the overwhelming number of children with ADD/ADHD in this district not noticed before by NC Dept. of Ed. and the matter looked into prior to Rowland’s study?
I do agree with you also on the point that corporation view our children less as patients to help than they do as potential clients to put money onto their income statement and balance sheet, and as such will use all the available avenues of sales/advertising/coersion to ensure that their so profitable products (Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, etc.) continue to be sold.
Re: ADHD in NC
Does anyone know what part of NC that Johnston county is in? Could it be anywhere near Ft.Bragg or PopeAFB? Just wondering since military families come from all over the US but can be concentrated in one area, especially one as large as FB and Pope since they are practically connected and one of the largest bases on east coast (aside from Norfolk area). My add son was dxed in Tx, schooled in Fl and VA by 5th grade. I would want to know how many of the kids were natives of NC and all dxed in that particular county,perhaps by the same docs or hmo group.
Re: ADHD in NC
http://www.johnston.k12.nc.us/web/AboutJCS.htm
About Johnston County Schools
Johnston County is a rural county located approximately 30 miles southeast of Raleigh and the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina. It is one of the State’s largest counties in terms of geographic land mass, covering an area of 795 square miles. The northern, eastern, and southern parts of Johnston County are mostly agricultural. The western part of the county is becoming more suburban in style because of the population explosion that is a direct result of the construction of Interstate 40. Johnston County is growing very rapidly, with a population presently exceeding 110,000. According to district documents, population growth is rapidly increasing due to its popularity with new residents who are drawn to the county because of its proximity to the Research Triangle Park.
The 31 public schools in Johnston County will serve approximately 22,500 students in grades pre-kindergarten through grade 12 during the 2001-2002 school year. The school district employs more than 2,600 employees and is the County’s single largest employer. The racial composition of students in the schools is 70 percent non-minority and 30 percent minority.
The school district is experiencing significant growth with
approximately 1,000 new students being added annually. In fact, Johnston County Schools is the fastest growing school district in North Carolina. The school district is a low wealth system with limited resources. Student achievement in the past was best described as “almost exactly state average;” however, recent improvement initiatives have moved the school district’s student achievement into the top ten percent of North Carolina school districts.
I appreciate the choice of words: “Received a diagnosis” of ADHD — connotes just a tiny thread of doubt. The article does’nt say where the “3-5%” estimate comes from, nor does it venture to describe the path to diagnosis.
At a recent local LD conference, there was a table in the vending area wiht promotional giveaways from a local pharmaceutical company — fliers touting Concerta being good “From home to homework,” and post-it notepads with Concerta on ‘em. The legislatures talk about gagging the teachers from suggesting ADHD — but let’s address where the prescriptions are coming from and where the pressure is *really* coming from.
I’m glad to say I didn’t see teachers snatching up those notepads — though the picture of the teacher scratching out a hall pass on one for a kid, or better yet a quick note-on-the-homework-to-Mom, did go through my mind, and yes, the gag reflex was activated.