A report by the U.S Center for Disease Control and Prevention have found that nine percent of all children, aged 5 to 17, have been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  This is a 29 percent rise from the 1998 to 2000 figures and has generated significant controversy about whether healthcare professionals over diagnose attention deficit disorder.  Is attention-deficit disorder truly present in the children diagnosed or is it a catch-all disorder? 

Clinicians evaluate attention deficit disorder based on the Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders, 4^th edition (DSM-IV).  Over diagnosis is likely if clinicians rely solely on symptoms and ignore other criteria specified in the DSM-IV since ADHD symptoms are not unique to this disorder.  Other researchers believe the diagnosis rise comes from better access to health care, more clinical familiarity with ADHD, and better reporting. 

The rise in ADHD has also had a profound impact on pharmaceutical companies.  A 2007 study found that half the children diagnosed with ADHD receive medication.  Peter Breggin, New York psychiatrist and director of the Center for the Study of Empathic Therapy, Education, and Living, said “We are diagnosing and drugging millions of our children instead of providing them the improved educational and family life they truly need”. 

Do you feel that advancements in technology and increased access to health care is responsible for the ries in ADHD diagnoses?  Are clinicians over diagnosing ADHD?