More and more children, sooner and sooner. Cases of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) have multiplied by 30 in recent years in Spain, especially in children between 8 and 12 years old. What is happening with ADHD? There are more and more voices stating about the overdiagnosis of the disorder and how we have created an epidemic of it.
The figures are chilling. In Spain, more than 250,000 minors take psychostimulants to combat ADHD. Health experts are scared by the increase in cases and reiterate that the context of each person should be taken into account and understand that there are reactions that are part of normality before diagnosing ADHD. Ultimately, it is not a topic that can be taken lightly since you have to be very sure before “labeling” a child with this disorder.
In today’s article, we will take an in-depth look at ADHD, including the reasons why more and more cases are currently being diagnosed among the population. Does ADHD really exist? Is there an emotional problem hidden behind it? Is it being overdiagnosed? Read on to discover the answers to these and more questions.
ADHD is the acronym for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty maintaining attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. It is usually diagnosed in childhood and symptoms sometimes decrease with age.
However, some people never completely overcome their symptoms but, with help, learn to use strategies to be successful. Interestingly, it occurs more frequently in men. There are three subtypes of ADHD:
At some point, it is completely normal for all children to have trouble paying attention, listening to and following instructions, sitting still, or waiting their turn. But in children with ADHD, the difficulties are greater and occur more often.
That is, most healthy children do not pay attention or are hyperactive or impulsive on certain occasions. Preschoolers typically have short attention spans and are unable to continue with an activity for long. Even in older children and adolescents, attention span often depends on level of interest and motivation.
The same thing happens with children’s activity level. Hyperactivity is normal in many infants, and they are often still full of energy long after they have exhausted their parents. In order to differentiate between typical development and ADHD, the key is functionality.
Those children who get along well with their classmates, have no problems at home, grades and behavior in class are not an impediment, and they are generally able to carry out their daily lives adequately, do not have to be diagnosed with ADHD. In any case, this article is informative, therefore, If you are concerned that your child is showing signs of ADHD, you may want to consult your pediatrician or family doctor.
ADHD overdiagnosis
There are endless possible causes to understand why ADHD is overdiagnosed. Many experts agree that the difficulties presented in ADHD can have a biological basis, but also an emotional one That is, these infants express symptoms in response to external factors, such as family or school problems.
It is important for health professionals to be aware of this, since, many times, children are diagnosed who, in reality, have other emotional or affective difficulties and express them through movement or lack of attention.
There is also a part of the population of experts who claim that the disorder is overdiagnosed and that this responds to the interests of the pharmaceutical industry. Professionals affirm that the current tendency to diagnose ADHD in adults and even the elderly, in the vast majority of cases, does not make any sense, and they argue that this group is a niche market in terms of consumption of this type of drugs and of course , the pharmaceutical industry is taking advantage of it.
Following this line, Experts support that medication has side effects on health such as artery problems, cardiovascular risk, difficulty gaining weight and growth retardation, and above all, a perception of the person’s loss of responsibility in the face of difficulties. In other words, medications have meant that when a child or adolescent takes this medication for long periods of time, it tends to generate the belief that what happens to them is not their responsibility, but rather their brain biochemistry.
Conclusions
From psychology, the overdiagnosis of ADHD can be addressed. Behaviors can be redirected and the specific school context analyzed. According to experts in this area, the current prevalence of ADHD would only decrease by modifying educational strategies. Ultimately, since it is a phenomenon that is basically observed in schools, The answer would have to first involve seeing what educational strategies could be applied in each case and always in connection with the family.
