ADHD over diagnosed in children, Canadian study

[[La...]]

This is an  interesting and alarming article  so I am  going to post it as it is written in today's newspaper:

ADHD study results alarming

Imagine something as innocuous as the date of your birth having an effect on your well being.With news that ADHD has been overdiagnosed among young students, such a notion may be an unfortunate reality.

According to a study based on nearly a million BC children, if a student has the misfortune of being born in December instead of weeks later in January, the chances increase of being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The numbers are alarming. boys who were born in December were 30%more likely to receive a diagnosis of ADHD and for girls born in January the number climbs to 70%

The reason is obvious, Students born 11 months later than their peers in the same classroom are almost a year younger-a big difference for a six year old. Not only would height and weight be noticeable different but so would levels of maturity.

with an apparent "problem"explanations will be sought and ,ADHD being the most common behavioral disorder diagnosed in children, the chances of getting such a label is the most probable.

According to the study by the Canadian Medical Association Journal , girls were 77%more likely and boys were 41% more likely , to be given a prescription for a ,medication to treat ADHD if they were born in December than if they were born in January.

Its this treatment, not the label, that's the biggest worry. Drugs used to treat ADHD have been linked to insomnia, weight loss, dizziness, anxiety, irritability, and other side effects. There have been some heart concerns over heart problems stemming from stimulant ingredients found in drugs such as Ritalin.

While some children may need such medication to function in life, its unnecessary and possibly dangerous , to medicate kids who are simply more immature than their peers.

For overall health in our youth, one hopes this study, which included 937,943 children aged six to 12 years over an 11 year period , will create more thorough diagnosis in the future