An expert in the USA has recently estimated that ADHD
testing is not being done so accurately. He has reckoned that as many as one on
five children are misdiagnosed and that the ADHD label is slapped on them for
life with all the negative consequences that will bring.
These children (estimated at a
shocking 9 million alone in the USA) will be incorrectly treated and
will also have to bear the brunt of a stigma for the rest of their lives. So,
these 9 million children are treated for a condition that they do not have all
because of inaccurate ADHD tests.
It is no secret that ADHD is now
over diagnosed and as we have seen from the above misdiagnosed. This is a
pretty scary scenario especially when we realize that the usual treatment
option with mind altering drugs can have serious consequences.
Other things to reflect on are the
fact that any psychiatric drugs (such as Zoloft and Paxil for depression and
also Ritalin for ADHD) may have played a role in recent
college and school shootings. Most of
the kids involved in those shootings were on some sort of psychiatric drug and
we know that some of the side effects are hallucinations and suicidal thoughts.
Another aspect to consider is that the number of ADHD
students actually going to college is very low as they have to cope with many
obstacles so it is vital that a correct diagnosis be made early on and proper
treatment be given for whatever disorder that they may have.
Those ADHD students at college will be around 5%
which is much lower than the national average which is 28%.
Another worrying aspect is that many childhood conditions such as hearing,
eyesight defects, food allergies, sleep apnea, thyroid conditions and learning disabilities show remarkably similar
symptoms to ADHD and these are not being correctly diagnosed either.
Pharmacological treatment of ADHD and other childhood
conditions can only be part of the answer and all the major medical authorities
in the UDA have come out strongly in favour of behavior therapy which means
proper parenting skills and organizing an ADHD friendly home as the only really
effective way of treating this mental condition.
This is another reason why a full and proper attention
disorder test should be given to all children when there is a problem at school
or at home.