The Over-Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder

From ABC News.com comes an article with the title: “A Diagnosis Excess? — A Lawsuit Alleges Attention Deficit Disorder Is Over-Diagnosed”

According to the article, Ritalin is being “prescribed to an estimated 4 million American schoolchildren each year” and parents, doctors, and activists of a drug-free lifestyle, are all questioning this.

What if you feel your child should not be on ritalin? That was the case of a father of a child in the article. According to the article, the boy’s mother and school both felt the child should be on the drug. The father however felt that, “the boy was a victim of a trend in this country to diagnose normal juvenile behavior as a disease.”

Are children being drugged for no reason? Is there a conspiracy to Over-Diagnose? Not only have those questions come up often, there is now a class-action lawsuit against Ritalin manufacturer Novartis, according to the article.

Why? Medical groups and parents are alleging that “the company fraudulently over promoted the diagnosis of ADD/ADHD in collusion with the two organizations to boost drug sales,” according to the article.

Has there been a rise in diagnosis of ADHD? According to the article, it “is now the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood,” and is reportedly “affecting 10 percent of school-age children in the United States.”

An important point to note, the article states that “prescription rates for Ritalin have increased 390 percent in the last five years.”

So just what is the scientific diagnostic criteria?
Ask yourself these questions:

Do I ever fidget squirm in my seat?
Do I have difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly?

If you answered yes, your may be on your way to being diagnosed with ADHD. Sound crazy? A neurobiologist who according to the article has been studying ADD/ADHD research for 20 years believes ADD and ADHD are “a colossal fraud.”

Children should have every opportunity to live a life free from drugs. They should have the ability to live their lives to their greatest of their potential. How does one realize the light of the world and express oneself to the greatest of their potential?

Hint: it does not come from a pill, potion, or lotion.

ABCNEWS.com: A Diagnosis Excess?