Essay Example on ADHD in Children: Common & Increasingly Prevalent

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental problem that impacts children. Children who are affected by ADHD are hyperactive, and hence, they are unable to manage their impulses. As such, it becomes hard for these children to pay attention in school and home. According to the Schwarz (2017), the mental issue is so common in boys as compared to girls. In most cases, the issue is discovered when a child is still in school at a low level. In the past two decades, the rate of ADHD diagnosis has highly increased. The concept has triggered to critical argument underlying the trend. Some research illustrated that there are high cases of misdiagnoses associated with ADHD.

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Currently, there are more than 1 million children in America who are over diagnosed with ADHD (Schwarz, 2017). The variation in development rate has been a critical approach that triggers to rise in over diagnoses. According to Schwarz (2017), a large number of these children who are misdiagnosed are young, and hence, their minds are not yet fully developed. Due to the growth rate, they are prescribed by behavior-modifying stimulants, for example, Ritalin. Additionally, the age difference in class is another critical concept that subject children not to pay attention to. In this case, a child who is five years is less likely to pay attention as compared to a child who is six years. Usually, there is a big difference between five and six years of mind development.

Experts illustrate that 5% is the maximum limit of teenage who are affected by the disorder (Schwarz, 2017). However, in some regions such as Virginia, 33 % of the boys are diagnosed with the disorder (Thomas, Sanders, Doust, Beller, & Glasziou, 2015). In 2011, several states reported that the number of children who have been affected by the disorder had gone up to 11% (Thomas et al., 2015). In which, 4.2 million children who have been affected by the disease are taking psychostimulants (Thomas et al., 2015).

In my perception, there are hidden aspects that impact the increase in the over diagnosis of ADHD. At first, the current education system increases the demand rate making it hard for a child to concentrate in class. Due to the low development rate, it becomes hard for children to read and learn various new concepts. Due to the low neurodevelopment level, it becomes so challenging for such children to handle the requirements. Additionally, pharmaceutical companies may have altered the data to increase the sale rate. As a way of boosting income rates, these pharmaceutical companies have been accused of interfering with research associated with health issues (Schwarz, 2017). The government should effectively conduct research on various activities these pharmaceutical companies are engaging in. The technique will assist in understanding more about the rising over diagnoses in the country.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ADHD is a mental issue that impacts how a child concentrate. In the past two decades, the rate of ADHD diagnosis has highly increased. Low development has been illustrated as a key approach that triggers rising over diagnoses. Experts illustrate that 5% is the maximum limit of teenage who are affected by the disorder. About 4.2 million children who have been affected by the disease are taking psychostimulants. Education demand may be another critical aspect that impacts how children pay attention in school. Additionally, pharmaceutical companies may have altered the data to increase the sale rate.

References

Schwarz, A. (2017). ADHD nation: Children, doctors, big pharma, and the making of an American epidemic. Simon and Schuster.

Thomas, R., Sanders, S., Doust, J., Beller, E., & Glasziou, P. (2015). Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 135(4), e994-e1001. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rae_Thomas2/publication/273124705_Thomas_R_Sanders_S_Doust_J_BellerE_Glasziou_P_Prevalence_of_Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder_A_systematic_review_and_meta-analysis/links/5c45599f299bf12be3d799b2/Thomas-R-Sanders-S-Doust-J-BellerE-Glasziou-P-Prevalence-of-Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder-A-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis.pdf.