8 ms·

Thousands of Toddlers Are Medicated for A.D.H.D., Report Finds

66 points by zackmorris 12y ago

dec0dedab0de 12y ago
What could a 3 year old possibly have to focus on that they need to take amphetamines?
- RankingMember 12y ago
  I'm imagining either a really intense game of peekaboo or the kid is Doogie Howser and having trouble with his MCATs at age 3.
- mikevm 12y ago
  ADHD is a grossly mislabled condition. It should be more appropriately called "Executive function disorder"[1]. Kids who have the hyperactive "subtype" of ADHD tend to move non-stop to the point where they injure themselves, and they also don't seem to listen to their parents. I'm not sure how much of this behavior shows for 3 year olds though... [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_functions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_functions
  - ctdonath 12y ago
    tend to move non-stop to the point where they injure themselves, and they also don't seem to listen to their parents. Sounds like a quintessential 3 year old.
    - chimeracoder 12y ago
      The symptoms of depression, when described glibly, "sound" like a quintessential teenager. That doesn't mean it's not possible (or useful) to distinguish between a "normal" teenager and one who is depressed and needs treatment.
      - mkohlmyr 12y ago
        Of course the point he was making is that the distinction made by that description is weak.
  - chimeracoder 12y ago
    I agree with your statement that ADHD is a completely mislabled condition. HOWEVER, "executive function disorder" is too general. Medically, it refers to a class of disorders that includes not just ADHD, but also Asperger's syndrome, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and more[0]. I agree with your general sentiment; I just want to point out that we cannot use the term interchangeably, as many people who have executive function disorders do not have ADHD. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_dysfunction#Executive_dysfunction_in_clinical_populations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_dysfunction#Executiv...
    - mikevm 12y ago
      Thanks for the clarification!
  - jforman 12y ago
    My one year old moves constantly and injures herself unless we hover non-stop. I hear I was the same as an infant/toddler, and I'm sure I could get an ADHD diagnosis now as an adult. I would never consider medicating her even if this kept up for years, though — despite my hyperactivity I'm happy and operate just fine in society. When I got bored in chemistry and math classes as a kid and had trouble paying attention, they put me in advanced classes (or even let me do experiments in the back of the classroom during lecture), where I continued to learn effectively. Sometimes when a human being and society are misaligned, the society should adapt rather than the human being.
  - ollysb 12y ago
    People did not evolve to politely sit still all day, the thought of medicating children to comply with our current sedentary habits (which are doing a good job of damaging our health) seems perverse to say the least...
    - mikevm 12y ago
      Yes, but ADHD is much more than just not being able to sit still all day. There are working memory problems, time management problems and much much more. It affects interpersonal relationships, job performance and many other parts of a person's life. As a person with ADHD-Hyperactive-Impulsive type grows up, he will start showing less and less hyperactivity (the impulsivity is still there though).
      - ollysb 12y ago
        The problem is that the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD seems dubious(I accept that there's real cases). According to the stats in[1] 20% of boys aged between 14-17 have been diagnosed at some point with ADHD. When you're diagnosing 20% of the male population with a condition isn't it time to accept that it isn't a condition, rather it's within the normal range of behaviour (many of the symptoms would be simply be considered an aspect of one's personality in other times). http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/31/us/adhd-in-children.html?ref=health http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/31/us/adhd-in-chi...
- pirateking 12y ago
  "Look at little Johnny concentrate on his iPad. You know those great new user interfaces... easy enough for a baby! He has been so well behaved lately, maybe we can buy him some Candy Quest Coins as a treat? Oh, and don't forget his pills at noon." D.A.R.E. - To keep kids OFF the streets (where they could engage in dangerous activities such as "play"), and to keep them ON drugs (where they are easy money).
- aidenn0 12y ago
  All issues with the article aside, it does seem like a poor idea to prescribe stimulants to a 3 year old for a disorder that is still hard to diagnose in early elementary school.
- tthomas48 12y ago
  This is one of the frightening thing about ADHD prescriptions. With children with ADHD the amphetamines are supposed to work as a depressant. If your kid is getting focus from the drugs they don't have ADHD. You have a kid on speed.
- GHFigs 12y ago
  Getting into Harvard.
- bayesianhorse 12y ago
  There are certain children who even at this age are extremely uncontrollable. From the outside, this is mostly ascribed to bad parenting, like "What else could it be?" Well, it turns out, these children often can't be helped by "good parenting" or non-pharmaceutical therapy. They are still destroying their homes, terrorizing their parents and peers. And even though they are the aggressors, they suffer immensely, let alone their parents. Also, even in much milder cases it has been shown that beating or otherwise severely punishing children (emotionally might count, too), actually increases the behavioral problems in the long term. If ADHD medications helps these children to actually choose peacefulness, I'm not entirely against it.
RankingMember 12y ago
There's a difference between methamphetamine and Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts). I say this because the host indicated that kids are primarily on methamphetamine. Meth can be prescribed legally, but I don't know anyone who's ever been prescribed it.
- adamgravitis 12y ago
  Methyl, not metham. Rather substantial difference.
  - mikevm 12y ago
    You're confusing methylphenidate (active ingredient in Ritalin/Concerta) and amphetamine salts which are used in the other family of stimulants such as Adderall, Vyvanse, etc...
    - nsp 12y ago
      Methamphetamine(as desoxym) is also available as a prescription for add/ADHD, though like the OP I've never heard any cases of it actually being used, and i believe it's pretty rare. http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/mobileart-rx.asp?drug=desoxyn&monotype=rx-ids&monopage=2 http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/mobileart-rx.asp?drug=deso...
  - awda 12y ago
    Desoxyn is literally brand-name prescription methamphetamine.
skywhopper 12y ago
Please, don't take this very seriously, the guy oversimplifies and misrepresents ADHD symptoms, our environment, and treatments. A few specific quibbles: The article says it's not a "disorder", but a "disorder" in psychiatry-speak means "Any pattern of psychological or behavioral symptoms that causes an individual significant distress, impairs their ability to function in life, and/or significantly increases their risk of death, pain, disability, or loss of freedom." ADHD symptoms may not represent a disorder for every individual in every situation. It's fine to say "change the environment" but that's not always an option. Not to mention the "hunter-gatherer vs farmer" dichotomy doesn't explain the rise of ADHD diagnoses in the last 20 years mostly in the US vs other western countries, which are just as rich and just as regimented. The other issue I have is with Thom Hartmann's description of ADHD which focuses on distractability and hyperactivity, but those are just two of the most common of the many symptoms that make up ADHD. Finally, the woman apparently is familiar with abusing Adderall herself. Speaking as someone who has ADHD and benefits from Adderall, I don't experience it as "crack". Nor have I found it remotely addictive. Certainly it's less addictive than caffeine. The general points are fine (schools and workplaces in the US have issues of their own that encourage ADHD-like symptoms), but the details are wildly wrong.
- wismer 12y ago
  I second what you've said, as I've had the same experiences in dealing with it myself. Adderall is not crack, but other people may abuse it as such. People without the disorder.
- mareofnight 12y ago
  I'd imagine a lot of that increase has to do with fewer people going diagnosed, rather than more people having ADHD in the first place. People become more aware of the symptoms and realize they can get help, they're less scared of being called crazy, etc. Given how hard it is to tell mental conditions apart (I think I remember reading that somewhere around 40% of psychologists' diagnosis are later changed), there are probably some false diagnosis in there too, where the "true" diagnosis is something else that's less top-of-mind, or that hasn't been discovered yet, or is something other than mental disorder. > It's fine to say "change the environment" but that's not always an option. ^ good point.
lelf 12y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADHD#Genetics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADHD#Genetics
EGreg 12y ago
Yet another reason to reform schools so that kids can actually learn instead of exhibit ADD while being told to sit still at a time in their lives when they love to run. http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=158 http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=158 ADHD is the "Hysteria" of the 21st century http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteria http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteria
mpg33 12y ago
Dr. Russell Barkley is one the world's leading experts on ADHD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQC-Nk5OOfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQC-Nk5OOfE
tlogan 12y ago
There are definitely kids with ADHD for whom medications definitely help. However, from my personal experience, it seems like it is a little "over diagnosed". But I could be wrong - this is just my very limited experience. Are there any material (video or similar) showing how an average ADHD kid behaves today vs. 20 years ago?
- aidenn0 12y ago
  It is both over and under diagnosed. Teachers are likely to refer any highly disruptive kids for screenings, while ignoring less disruptive kids. However, being disruptive isn't a particularly good proxy for "has ADHD" and someone without ADHD that is referred has a higher chance of being diagnoesd with ADHD than someone with that is not referred. This results in a lot of kids who end up being treated who shouldn't and plenty of kids who go untreated who could benefit.
aidenn0 12y ago
TLDR: The ability to store fat is an evolutionary adaption, therefore obesity isn't a problem.
tokenadult 12y ago
It doesn't look to me like an original source is the basis of the kind submission here. The byline is "New York Times," but this submission is not from the New York Times website. The submitted article mentions a study published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and I see that the CDC has a homepage on ADHD[1] with numerous subpages. Searching Google News for more news on the recent statement discovers stories[2] leading back to the 16 May 2014 report in the New York Times[3] mentioning statements by a CDC official at a recent conference (that is, not yet an official report from the CDC nor a peer-reviewed journal article). The conference presentation, according to the New York Times report, is alarming to many doctors who work with young children. The bit about ADHD as an evolutionary adaptation is tacked on in reference to ideas from "Journalist Thom Hartmann," who doesn't seem to have any particular expertise in health reporting. There are better sources for the same underlying idea, that some of the behavioral signs characteristic of ADHD may not be maladaptive in all life circumstances. [1] http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/index.html http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/index.html [2] http://www.indianagazette.com/news/home-lifestyle/rise-in-adhd-diagnoses-in-toddlers-under-scrutiny,19883849/ http://www.indianagazette.com/news/home-lifestyle/rise-in-ad... http://www.the-leader.com/article/20140520/NEWS/305209955 http://www.the-leader.com/article/20140520/NEWS/305209955 [3] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/us/among-experts-scrutiny-of-attention-disorder-diagnoses-in-2-and-3-year-olds.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/us/among-experts-scrutiny-...
obiefernandez 12y ago
sloppy, at best. the reporter lost me about a minute in when she said that ADHD medications were "methamphetamanine-based"
dang 12y ago
We changed the url from http://www.mediaroots.org/10000-toddlers-on-drugs-for-non-disorder-a-d-h-d/ http://www.mediaroots.org/10000-toddlers-on-drugs-for-non-di..., which links to this.
- dfc 12y ago
  When I went to go back and see if I could find a link to the actual CDC paper the NYT layout did not seem familiar; and then it occurred to me "I bet dang changed the link and I bet he took the additional time to let us know he changed the link." As always thank you for your transparency.
Scienz 12y ago
Personal anecdote, since there are some comments here by people claiming an early ADHD diagnosis might have changed their life: I was "diagnosed" with ADHD about five years ago, at around age 25, and it was a horrible experience. I'm not sure if I have ADHD, but at the very least was very depressed at the time, and they gave me some self-evaluation asking a bunch of questions like, "Do you have trouble concentrating? Does your mind wander?" Of course being very depressed I tended to be pretty hard on myself answering, they gave me the diagnosis, and at the first sign I gave of skepticism about it they basically ridiculed and humiliated me, telling me I was in denial and nothing in my life would ever change unless I started taking medication. They completely ignored any other problems I was having and other possible explanations once they pinned the ADHD label on me. In a conversation that lasted an hour, I didn't get a single word in after making the comment, "Well I'm not really sure if I have this..." A few years later I did try taking some Adderall, unofficially acquired from a friend, and in three days it caused me to start having all kinds of mental health problems (OCD and Tourette's type symptoms, fyi) that I'm still not fully recovered from. Admittedly I think I took a bit too high of a dosage, but I'm scared to even try again if only three days of something could basically turn me halfway insane. Maybe if I'd started on only a half dose it wouldn't have happened, but I'm worried about the fact that such people were trying so hard to push a drug that ended up having those kinds of effects in only three days from only a slightly elevated dosage. So I definitely think this whole thing is a huge pharma scam at this point. I'd be highly skeptical of any ADHD diagnoses, especially when they're all based on self-reporting (notoriously unreliable) and a bunch of therapists, teachers, etc. who are quick to jump to whatever explanation fits with their prejudices about a person. It scares me that they're pushing these drugs on people, especially at such young ages, not to mention how it prevents the real underlying problems from being solved.
- pavel_lishin 12y ago
  I have to take your story with a big ol' bucket of salt, because you ignored medical professionals, and then tried to self-medicate with un-prescribed drugs of unknown dosage.
  - Scienz 12y ago
dfc 12y ago
Does anyone have a link to the actual CDC paper? I found some ADHD publications from Dr. Visser but they do not seem like they are related to the material presented at the conference.
gojomo 12y ago
Does the idea that thousands of toddlers have been prescribed ADHD-drugs become more or less concerning, once you consider some of those prescriptions may be schemes to acquire pills for diversion to other, unprescribed older users/buyers?
marak830 12y ago
Do these people not understand that they are children? I work with 4 and 5 year olds 8 hours a day, there is no way you could tell an adhd child from one without, their still developing. In 3 months i have seen every child in my 24 class change how they act, talk and play. They shouldnt have children. Edit: 550am fat thumbed typing.
Im_Talking 12y ago
And yet cannabis oil, which is non-psychoactive and an effective treatment for a myriad of issues including ADHD is still illegal at the federal level.
bayesianhorse 12y ago
This kind of ridiculing ADHD is down right dangerous. Children with untreated ADHD, even at a very young age, are at riks to suffer depression, bipolar disorder and bad social skills later on. ADHD is a very tough condition to understand. The repercussions of deciding not to treat a child are severe and unequivocal. A child with untreated ADHD will be much less happy, much less social, much less successful (in every sense of the term) and less healthy than need be. Which is sort of the point of treating it.

66 points by zackmorris 12y ago

dec0dedab0de 12y ago

What could a 3 year old possibly have to focus on that they need to take amphetamines?

RankingMember 12y ago
I'm imagining either a really intense game of peekaboo or the kid is Doogie Howser and having trouble with his MCATs at age 3.
mikevm 12y ago
ADHD is a grossly mislabled condition. It should be more appropriately called "Executive function disorder"[1]. Kids who have the hyperactive "subtype" of ADHD tend to move non-stop to the point where they injure themselves, and they also don't seem to listen to their parents. I'm not sure how much of this behavior shows for 3 year olds though... [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_functions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_functions
- ctdonath 12y ago
  tend to move non-stop to the point where they injure themselves, and they also don't seem to listen to their parents. Sounds like a quintessential 3 year old.
  - chimeracoder 12y ago
    The symptoms of depression, when described glibly, "sound" like a quintessential teenager. That doesn't mean it's not possible (or useful) to distinguish between a "normal" teenager and one who is depressed and needs treatment.
    - mkohlmyr 12y ago
      Of course the point he was making is that the distinction made by that description is weak.
- chimeracoder 12y ago
  I agree with your statement that ADHD is a completely mislabled condition. HOWEVER, "executive function disorder" is too general. Medically, it refers to a class of disorders that includes not just ADHD, but also Asperger's syndrome, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and more[0]. I agree with your general sentiment; I just want to point out that we cannot use the term interchangeably, as many people who have executive function disorders do not have ADHD. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_dysfunction#Executive_dysfunction_in_clinical_populations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_dysfunction#Executiv...
  - mikevm 12y ago
    Thanks for the clarification!
- jforman 12y ago
  My one year old moves constantly and injures herself unless we hover non-stop. I hear I was the same as an infant/toddler, and I'm sure I could get an ADHD diagnosis now as an adult. I would never consider medicating her even if this kept up for years, though — despite my hyperactivity I'm happy and operate just fine in society. When I got bored in chemistry and math classes as a kid and had trouble paying attention, they put me in advanced classes (or even let me do experiments in the back of the classroom during lecture), where I continued to learn effectively. Sometimes when a human being and society are misaligned, the society should adapt rather than the human being.
- ollysb 12y ago
  People did not evolve to politely sit still all day, the thought of medicating children to comply with our current sedentary habits (which are doing a good job of damaging our health) seems perverse to say the least...
  - mikevm 12y ago
    Yes, but ADHD is much more than just not being able to sit still all day. There are working memory problems, time management problems and much much more. It affects interpersonal relationships, job performance and many other parts of a person's life. As a person with ADHD-Hyperactive-Impulsive type grows up, he will start showing less and less hyperactivity (the impulsivity is still there though).
    - ollysb 12y ago
      The problem is that the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD seems dubious(I accept that there's real cases). According to the stats in[1] 20% of boys aged between 14-17 have been diagnosed at some point with ADHD. When you're diagnosing 20% of the male population with a condition isn't it time to accept that it isn't a condition, rather it's within the normal range of behaviour (many of the symptoms would be simply be considered an aspect of one's personality in other times). http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/31/us/adhd-in-children.html?ref=health http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/31/us/adhd-in-chi...
pirateking 12y ago
"Look at little Johnny concentrate on his iPad. You know those great new user interfaces... easy enough for a baby! He has been so well behaved lately, maybe we can buy him some Candy Quest Coins as a treat? Oh, and don't forget his pills at noon." D.A.R.E. - To keep kids OFF the streets (where they could engage in dangerous activities such as "play"), and to keep them ON drugs (where they are easy money).
aidenn0 12y ago
All issues with the article aside, it does seem like a poor idea to prescribe stimulants to a 3 year old for a disorder that is still hard to diagnose in early elementary school.
tthomas48 12y ago
This is one of the frightening thing about ADHD prescriptions. With children with ADHD the amphetamines are supposed to work as a depressant. If your kid is getting focus from the drugs they don't have ADHD. You have a kid on speed.
GHFigs 12y ago
Getting into Harvard.
bayesianhorse 12y ago
There are certain children who even at this age are extremely uncontrollable. From the outside, this is mostly ascribed to bad parenting, like "What else could it be?" Well, it turns out, these children often can't be helped by "good parenting" or non-pharmaceutical therapy. They are still destroying their homes, terrorizing their parents and peers. And even though they are the aggressors, they suffer immensely, let alone their parents. Also, even in much milder cases it has been shown that beating or otherwise severely punishing children (emotionally might count, too), actually increases the behavioral problems in the long term. If ADHD medications helps these children to actually choose peacefulness, I'm not entirely against it.

RankingMember 12y ago

There's a difference between methamphetamine and Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts). I say this because the host indicated that kids are primarily on methamphetamine. Meth can be prescribed legally, but I don't know anyone who's ever been prescribed it.

adamgravitis 12y ago
Methyl, not metham. Rather substantial difference.
- mikevm 12y ago
  You're confusing methylphenidate (active ingredient in Ritalin/Concerta) and amphetamine salts which are used in the other family of stimulants such as Adderall, Vyvanse, etc...
  - nsp 12y ago
    Methamphetamine(as desoxym) is also available as a prescription for add/ADHD, though like the OP I've never heard any cases of it actually being used, and i believe it's pretty rare. http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/mobileart-rx.asp?drug=desoxyn&monotype=rx-ids&monopage=2 http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/mobileart-rx.asp?drug=deso...
- awda 12y ago
  Desoxyn is literally brand-name prescription methamphetamine.

skywhopper 12y ago

Please, don't take this very seriously, the guy oversimplifies and misrepresents ADHD symptoms, our environment, and treatments. A few specific quibbles: The article says it's not a "disorder", but a "disorder" in psychiatry-speak means "Any pattern of psychological or behavioral symptoms that causes an individual significant distress, impairs their ability to function in life, and/or significantly increases their risk of death, pain, disability, or loss of freedom." ADHD symptoms may not represent a disorder for every individual in every situation. It's fine to say "change the environment" but that's not always an option. Not to mention the "hunter-gatherer vs farmer" dichotomy doesn't explain the rise of ADHD diagnoses in the last 20 years mostly in the US vs other western countries, which are just as rich and just as regimented. The other issue I have is with Thom Hartmann's description of ADHD which focuses on distractability and hyperactivity, but those are just two of the most common of the many symptoms that make up ADHD. Finally, the woman apparently is familiar with abusing Adderall herself. Speaking as someone who has ADHD and benefits from Adderall, I don't experience it as "crack". Nor have I found it remotely addictive. Certainly it's less addictive than caffeine. The general points are fine (schools and workplaces in the US have issues of their own that encourage ADHD-like symptoms), but the details are wildly wrong.

wismer 12y ago
I second what you've said, as I've had the same experiences in dealing with it myself. Adderall is not crack, but other people may abuse it as such. People without the disorder.
mareofnight 12y ago
I'd imagine a lot of that increase has to do with fewer people going diagnosed, rather than more people having ADHD in the first place. People become more aware of the symptoms and realize they can get help, they're less scared of being called crazy, etc. Given how hard it is to tell mental conditions apart (I think I remember reading that somewhere around 40% of psychologists' diagnosis are later changed), there are probably some false diagnosis in there too, where the "true" diagnosis is something else that's less top-of-mind, or that hasn't been discovered yet, or is something other than mental disorder. > It's fine to say "change the environment" but that's not always an option. ^ good point.

lelf 12y ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADHD#Genetics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADHD#Genetics

EGreg 12y ago

Yet another reason to reform schools so that kids can actually learn instead of exhibit ADD while being told to sit still at a time in their lives when they love to run. http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=158 http://magarshak.com/blog/?p=158 ADHD is the "Hysteria" of the 21st century http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteria http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteria

mpg33 12y ago

Dr. Russell Barkley is one the world's leading experts on ADHD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQC-Nk5OOfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQC-Nk5OOfE

tlogan 12y ago

There are definitely kids with ADHD for whom medications definitely help. However, from my personal experience, it seems like it is a little "over diagnosed". But I could be wrong - this is just my very limited experience. Are there any material (video or similar) showing how an average ADHD kid behaves today vs. 20 years ago?

aidenn0 12y ago
It is both over and under diagnosed. Teachers are likely to refer any highly disruptive kids for screenings, while ignoring less disruptive kids. However, being disruptive isn't a particularly good proxy for "has ADHD" and someone without ADHD that is referred has a higher chance of being diagnoesd with ADHD than someone with that is not referred. This results in a lot of kids who end up being treated who shouldn't and plenty of kids who go untreated who could benefit.

aidenn0 12y ago

TLDR: The ability to store fat is an evolutionary adaption, therefore obesity isn't a problem.

tokenadult 12y ago

It doesn't look to me like an original source is the basis of the kind submission here. The byline is "New York Times," but this submission is not from the New York Times website. The submitted article mentions a study published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and I see that the CDC has a homepage on ADHD[1] with numerous subpages. Searching Google News for more news on the recent statement discovers stories[2] leading back to the 16 May 2014 report in the New York Times[3] mentioning statements by a CDC official at a recent conference (that is, not yet an official report from the CDC nor a peer-reviewed journal article). The conference presentation, according to the New York Times report, is alarming to many doctors who work with young children. The bit about ADHD as an evolutionary adaptation is tacked on in reference to ideas from "Journalist Thom Hartmann," who doesn't seem to have any particular expertise in health reporting. There are better sources for the same underlying idea, that some of the behavioral signs characteristic of ADHD may not be maladaptive in all life circumstances. [1] http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/index.html http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/index.html [2] http://www.indianagazette.com/news/home-lifestyle/rise-in-adhd-diagnoses-in-toddlers-under-scrutiny,19883849/ http://www.indianagazette.com/news/home-lifestyle/rise-in-ad... http://www.the-leader.com/article/20140520/NEWS/305209955 http://www.the-leader.com/article/20140520/NEWS/305209955 [3] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/us/among-experts-scrutiny-of-attention-disorder-diagnoses-in-2-and-3-year-olds.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/17/us/among-experts-scrutiny-...

obiefernandez 12y ago

sloppy, at best. the reporter lost me about a minute in when she said that ADHD medications were "methamphetamanine-based"

dang 12y ago

We changed the url from http://www.mediaroots.org/10000-toddlers-on-drugs-for-non-disorder-a-d-h-d/ http://www.mediaroots.org/10000-toddlers-on-drugs-for-non-di..., which links to this.

dfc 12y ago
When I went to go back and see if I could find a link to the actual CDC paper the NYT layout did not seem familiar; and then it occurred to me "I bet dang changed the link and I bet he took the additional time to let us know he changed the link." As always thank you for your transparency.

Scienz 12y ago

Personal anecdote, since there are some comments here by people claiming an early ADHD diagnosis might have changed their life: I was "diagnosed" with ADHD about five years ago, at around age 25, and it was a horrible experience. I'm not sure if I have ADHD, but at the very least was very depressed at the time, and they gave me some self-evaluation asking a bunch of questions like, "Do you have trouble concentrating? Does your mind wander?" Of course being very depressed I tended to be pretty hard on myself answering, they gave me the diagnosis, and at the first sign I gave of skepticism about it they basically ridiculed and humiliated me, telling me I was in denial and nothing in my life would ever change unless I started taking medication. They completely ignored any other problems I was having and other possible explanations once they pinned the ADHD label on me. In a conversation that lasted an hour, I didn't get a single word in after making the comment, "Well I'm not really sure if I have this..." A few years later I did try taking some Adderall, unofficially acquired from a friend, and in three days it caused me to start having all kinds of mental health problems (OCD and Tourette's type symptoms, fyi) that I'm still not fully recovered from. Admittedly I think I took a bit too high of a dosage, but I'm scared to even try again if only three days of something could basically turn me halfway insane. Maybe if I'd started on only a half dose it wouldn't have happened, but I'm worried about the fact that such people were trying so hard to push a drug that ended up having those kinds of effects in only three days from only a slightly elevated dosage. So I definitely think this whole thing is a huge pharma scam at this point. I'd be highly skeptical of any ADHD diagnoses, especially when they're all based on self-reporting (notoriously unreliable) and a bunch of therapists, teachers, etc. who are quick to jump to whatever explanation fits with their prejudices about a person. It scares me that they're pushing these drugs on people, especially at such young ages, not to mention how it prevents the real underlying problems from being solved.

pavel_lishin 12y ago
I have to take your story with a big ol' bucket of salt, because you ignored medical professionals, and then tried to self-medicate with un-prescribed drugs of unknown dosage.
- Scienz 12y ago

dfc 12y ago

Does anyone have a link to the actual CDC paper? I found some ADHD publications from Dr. Visser but they do not seem like they are related to the material presented at the conference.

gojomo 12y ago

Does the idea that thousands of toddlers have been prescribed ADHD-drugs become more or less concerning, once you consider some of those prescriptions may be schemes to acquire pills for diversion to other, unprescribed older users/buyers?

marak830 12y ago

Do these people not understand that they are children? I work with 4 and 5 year olds 8 hours a day, there is no way you could tell an adhd child from one without, their still developing. In 3 months i have seen every child in my 24 class change how they act, talk and play. They shouldnt have children. Edit: 550am fat thumbed typing.

Im_Talking 12y ago

And yet cannabis oil, which is non-psychoactive and an effective treatment for a myriad of issues including ADHD is still illegal at the federal level.

bayesianhorse 12y ago

This kind of ridiculing ADHD is down right dangerous. Children with untreated ADHD, even at a very young age, are at riks to suffer depression, bipolar disorder and bad social skills later on. ADHD is a very tough condition to understand. The repercussions of deciding not to treat a child are severe and unequivocal. A child with untreated ADHD will be much less happy, much less social, much less successful (in every sense of the term) and less healthy than need be. Which is sort of the point of treating it.