Sharp rise in girls battling the condition

More than one in ten children and teenagers in the US suffer attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new study.

That reflects a 43 per cent increase in ADHD diagnoses in schoolchildren – with spikes in diagnoses among girls, Hispanics and older children.

Nearly 5.8 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 are now diagnosed with ADHD, the study found.

ADHD is characterized by social and behavioral problems, in addition to challenges in school.

The study investigated cases of ADHD reported by parents in the National Survey of Children’s Health from 2003 and 2011.

Diagnoses rates jumped from 8.4 per cent of children in 2003 to 12 per cent by 2011, the study showed.

ADHD diagnoses among girls in particular surged from 4.7 per cent in 2003 to 7.3 per cent in 2011 – but prevalence of the disorder stayed higher in boys.

Study co-author Dr Sean Clearly, a public health researcher at George Washington University, told Reuters: ‘The sharper increase among girls was a surprise primarily because ADHD is typically diagnosed among boys.

‘One possibility to explain the increasing trend among females is a greater recognition of ADHD symptoms observed (e.g. withdrawn, internalizing) that are traditionally overlooked because they are not typically considered a sign of this condition.’

Dr Cleary and his co-author Kevin Collins of Mathematic Policy Research analysed data on more than 190,000 children from US surveys conducted in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

Parents were asked in the surveys whether their child had been diagnosed with ADHD.

The majority of reported ADHD cases were in boys – with diagnoses for them rising 40 per cent during the study period to 16.5 per cent by 2011.

The study also found that age played a role in diagnoses rate gains.

There was a 33 per cent increase in children aged 5 to 9 years old, as well as a 47 per cent rise for those 10 to 14 and a 52 per cent hike in teens aged 15 to 17.

White children accounted for the majority of the cases – but there was also a climb in diagnoses rates for Hispanic and black youth.

Diagnoses in Hispanic children surged 83 per cent during the study period, while diagnoses for blacks rose 58 per cent.

Dr Cleary said: ‘Parents should be made aware of the findings in case they have a child or teenager that should be evaluated for the disorder, which can persist into adulthood.’

However, the study authors cautioned that their research had a number of shortcomings.

There were low response rates and that the telephone surveys they investigated didn’t include mobile numbers until 2011.

The study was also not geared towards looking at the underlying reasons for changes in prevalence.

Dr Clearly added: ‘Additional studies must be done to identify the underlying cause of the increase.’

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Written by Lisa Ryan and published by The Daily Mail, December 9, 2015.

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