6 ms·

"By high school, nearly 20% of all boys will have been diagnosed with ADHD." Either 1. we are medicate children too much and schooling is very screwed up or 2.

"By high school, nearly 20% of all boys will have been diagnosed with ADHD." Either 1. we are medicate children too much and schooling is very screwed up or 2. 20% of boys defective to extent that they require amphetamines. I am not see third option. I am not believe 20% of boys defective to such extent. So I believe we are medicate children too much. [0]: https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a32858/drugging-of-the-american-boy-0414/ https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a32858/drugging-of-the...

TeMPOraL 6y ago
Well, yes. About ~10% of US kids. How about 3: schooling is increasingly good at exacerbating symptoms of a problem that's considered to be strongly genetic[0] (a point curiously omitted in the article you linked) and widespread in the population. And the numbers seem less surprising if you consider that adult life is also good at making the symptoms apparent - except we brush them away with labels like "lazy", "unorganized", "chronic procrastinator", "rude", etc. and let people figure out coping mechanisms on their own, which often include substance abuse, or on the lighter end, self-medicating with coffee and cigarettes. -- [0] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3245028/#__sec1title https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3245028/#__sec1... points to "strong genetic influence on ADHD with estimated heritability ranging from 75% to 91%".
pseudalopex 6y ago
20% is how many boys that age were ever diagnosed with ADHD. 89% of children ever diagnosed have a current diagnosis. Only 62% of children with a current diagnosis take any medication.[1] So much fewer than 20% take a specific medication probably. Almost 40% of boys that age need vision correction.[2] [1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15374416.2017.1417860 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15374416.2017.1... [2] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6644a12.htm?s_cid=mm6644a12_w https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6644a12.htm?s_cid=m...
- Dma54rhs 6y ago
  Which are absolutely insane numbers compared to very similar societies all around the world. I doubt there is some sort of truly unique illness doing rounds only in America.
  - pseudalopex 6y ago
    America isn't an extreme outlier. And most of the variation around the world can be explained by different diagnostic criteria.[1] Look for numbers around the world to jump as countries adopt ICD-11. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1994964/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1994964/
    - Dma54rhs 6y ago
      84% of total world wide ADHD meds are eaten in the USA. There is a difference between identifying symptoms and thinking stimulants are the answer or just not paying any attention. Just like in Europe the medical consensus is that people have to learn to live with pain rather eating oxy's. It doesnt meant the doctors pain didn't exist in their patients. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6261411/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6261411/
      - TeMPOraL 6y ago
        I know you don't intend it this way, but it does come across as cruel when confronted with realities. > 84% of total world wide ADHD meds are eaten in the USA. That's of course because US is ahead of the curve in medicine. > Just like in Europe the medical consensus is that people have to learn to live with pain rather eating oxy's. This isn't a medical consensus. We just don't push opioids for everything so early. We start with paracetamol and ibuprofen, upgrade to ketoprofen and other NSAIDs in more specialized or severe cases, and continue as needed. But living with pain is not an acceptable answer here either. Stimulant meds work very well on ADHD and are very safe, both short and long-term; it's a much better story than say SSRIs and depression. The main problem here is the combination of stigma (oh no, amphetamines!) and fears of abuse by people not suffering from ADHD (oh yes, amphetamines!) - both of which are in large part fueled by the US War on Drugs, the unending source of pathologies and suffering worldwide.

TeMPOraL 6y ago

Well, yes. About ~10% of US kids. How about 3: schooling is increasingly good at exacerbating symptoms of a problem that's considered to be strongly genetic[0] (a point curiously omitted in the article you linked) and widespread in the population. And the numbers seem less surprising if you consider that adult life is also good at making the symptoms apparent - except we brush them away with labels like "lazy", "unorganized", "chronic procrastinator", "rude", etc. and let people figure out coping mechanisms on their own, which often include substance abuse, or on the lighter end, self-medicating with coffee and cigarettes. -- [0] - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3245028/#__sec1title https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3245028/#__sec1... points to "strong genetic influence on ADHD with estimated heritability ranging from 75% to 91%".

pseudalopex 6y ago

20% is how many boys that age were ever diagnosed with ADHD. 89% of children ever diagnosed have a current diagnosis. Only 62% of children with a current diagnosis take any medication.[1] So much fewer than 20% take a specific medication probably. Almost 40% of boys that age need vision correction.[2] [1] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15374416.2017.1417860 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15374416.2017.1... [2] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6644a12.htm?s_cid=mm6644a12_w https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6644a12.htm?s_cid=m...

Dma54rhs 6y ago
Which are absolutely insane numbers compared to very similar societies all around the world. I doubt there is some sort of truly unique illness doing rounds only in America.
- pseudalopex 6y ago
  America isn't an extreme outlier. And most of the variation around the world can be explained by different diagnostic criteria.[1] Look for numbers around the world to jump as countries adopt ICD-11. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1994964/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1994964/
  - Dma54rhs 6y ago
    84% of total world wide ADHD meds are eaten in the USA. There is a difference between identifying symptoms and thinking stimulants are the answer or just not paying any attention. Just like in Europe the medical consensus is that people have to learn to live with pain rather eating oxy's. It doesnt meant the doctors pain didn't exist in their patients. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6261411/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6261411/
    - TeMPOraL 6y ago
      I know you don't intend it this way, but it does come across as cruel when confronted with realities. > 84% of total world wide ADHD meds are eaten in the USA. That's of course because US is ahead of the curve in medicine. > Just like in Europe the medical consensus is that people have to learn to live with pain rather eating oxy's. This isn't a medical consensus. We just don't push opioids for everything so early. We start with paracetamol and ibuprofen, upgrade to ketoprofen and other NSAIDs in more specialized or severe cases, and continue as needed. But living with pain is not an acceptable answer here either. Stimulant meds work very well on ADHD and are very safe, both short and long-term; it's a much better story than say SSRIs and depression. The main problem here is the combination of stigma (oh no, amphetamines!) and fears of abuse by people not suffering from ADHD (oh yes, amphetamines!) - both of which are in large part fueled by the US War on Drugs, the unending source of pathologies and suffering worldwide.