[sonnynotsunny]

I have read this article about ADHD that says on average one or two children with ADHD in a class of 30 school children. Why is it very common if it’s a disorder?

[winterglen]

Originally Posted by sonnynotsunny

I have read this article about ADHD that says on average one or two children with ADHD in a class of 30 school children. Why is it very common if it’s a disorder?

I think part of the reason is that more is demanded from kids at an earlier age. Kids today get fast-tracked through to college, with more homework, more tests, and more extracurricular activities loaded on them. They are expected to be good at many different things at once and to multitask their many responsibilities. So there's a mixed message that they are supposed to do everything at once, but not rush through it. It creates extremely difficult standards for kids to live up to.

There are probably just as many kids percentage wise that had ADHD in yesteryear, but the standard for being functional in our society has been raised so high that more people are falling below it.

This has been a subject of interest to me for a long time.

The symptoms of ADD/ADHD are almost identical to many other issues, and often result from childhood abuse or neglect, along with a chaotic home environment. These symptoms are very much like insecure attachment and have developmental implications.

The fact that people refer to ADD/ADHD as a neurological disorder rather than a mental disorder leads to misconceptions. All mental disorders are neurological, because the brain is affected. ADD/ADHD is a mental disorder because the diagnosis is in the DSM--which is the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders". It's therefore classified as a mental disorder. So the distinguishing by some seems to cause more confusion.

Sometimes children who have problems in school, such as concentration and trouble paying attention, poor performance, is the result of an unstable home environment, subject to poor parenting, etc. This children are diagnosed with ADHD/ADD and prescribed medications. Since the medications help, and will help people with these symptoms regardless if they have ADD/ADHD or not, nothing else is done. That is sad, but perhaps better than no intervention.

Later, these symptoms can appear with CPTSD/personality disorders. Childhood neglect and abuse can lead to later cognitive problems just like ADD/ADHD-impulse control, lack of focus/concentration, dissociation that manifests as inability to pay attention, motivational issues, anxiety, risk-taking/poor decision-making, overstimulation of the nervous system, and overall emotional dysregulation.

What happens is that psychiatrists treat these symptoms as ADD/ADHD instead of addressing the underlying root problems. Treating symptoms is pretty much what they do, regardless of etiology. It can be helpful for some, but sometimes at the detriment of addressing the underlying issues. This can hurt the patient, who later discovers they have multiple problems that were never addressed; many times these are the relational issues that go hand in hand with CPTSD/insecure attachment/personality disorders.

Lastly, the issue of heritability comes into play. Insecure attachment and personality disorders are passed down from parent to child; it's a cycle that gets repeated if the underlying cause of the symptoms remains unaddressed. That's one reason it's important to get an accurate diagnosis from an experienced psychologist rather than relying on a psychiatrist alone. IMO, psychotherapy is very important and should always be considered with potential ADD/ADHD when possible.

[Nemo39122]

I have a few theories:
#1. I honestly think it's over-diagnosed, mainly in kids. Correct me if I'm wrong here, and I'll admit to not doing much research on this specifically, but as far as I know ADHD is one of the only mental disorders you hear about kids supposedly outgrowing. If they really had an actual disorder, would it be that common to just outgrow it? I think people are rushing to label and medicate kids who are having certain problems, instead of looking into the cause(s) and trying to actually fix them...which is basically my 2nd theory.

#2. Labeling and treating it as ADHD, when its caused by something else. (Along the same lines as what skies_ said, but personally I think they said it better lol). A significantly higher percentage of kids now are living with divorced parents than kids several decades ago. There could still be a lot of stress, fighting, dysfunction, etc going on...stress = lack of focus, among other things. It could be a side effect of abuse, neglect, or virtually any other significant stress going on; or even an effect of past abuse/neglect.

#3. Like winterglen said, more demand on kids now than in the past. But there's also a lot more distractions...computers, cell phones, internet, iPods, social media (depending on the age). Even just wondering about an unread text message or facebook notification could be a distraction.

#4. The above-average kid being bored. I don't know how common this actually is, but its something I've noticed a lot personally. I've known a lot of kids who finish their assignment faster than everyone else or just don't do it at all because they see it as boring, and end up causing trouble simply out of boredom. When these kids were given extra work or more challenging work, their ADHD-like behaviors essentially disappeared.

So yeah...just some ideas I had...

[doyoutrustme]

As someone who was one of the '1 in 30' ... that doesn't sound very frequent. For the ADD kid in the class, you are the class spazz. A walking joke. An easy target for both frustrated teachers and obnoxious kids.

And worse, because everybody suffers from inattentiveness at one point or another, people expect you to just 'Apply yourself, try harder.' 'Oh, I think I have ADD but do you know what I did? I stopped being lazy.'

This is not just a bored child. Just because something is a relatively common problem, doesn't make it not a problem. And if it is that common, then purhaps we need to reevaluate how to approach teaching so that it helps the whole class, rather than just the kids who are great at cramming and testing.

IMO, no one actually outgrows it. The adult ADD people I know have simple cobbled together clever coping mechanisms to keep up the pace with everyone else, and usually find someplace to work where they can apply their strongest assets, therefore struggling less.

[Open Eyes]

I think that ADHD is something someone can be born with. I have had to deal with this challenge all my life, not in myself but in someone else connected to me. My older brother and my husband. What I have seen with both of them is that from an early age they both were very much "in motion" and struggled to sit still and relax and pay attention. Unfortunately, these children are "misunderstood" and are often "punished" instead of having the right kind of help. This creates problems with "self esteem" and these individuals often develop some coping methods that can be very "harmful", not only for themselves but for others who are around them. And "yes" some personality disorders can develop and even can lead to what is called "complex PTSD".

Unfortunately, not all children can be expected to fit into a box where they have the ability to follow a certain structure that is set up in a school environment. And these children have long been punished instead of being recognized and helped properly.
The methods of "punishment" often made these children even worse, I observed that first had growing up with my older brother, it was a horrific thing to witness on a daily basis.
As a result, I am sure my older brother suffers from complex PTSD and so do I.

OE

[Miswimmy1]

As what everyone else said, I think that many kids portray ADHD-like symptoms. The disorder is most likely overdiagnosed. Gifted kids may be bored and appear inattentive. Kids with other learning disabilities may act out in frustration. Kids who have difficult home situations may act out. Other mental disorders such as anxiety or depression may make the child appear inattentive and unfocused.

On the flip side, I read an article that said that ADHD is over-diagnosed among the general population but underdiagnosed among those who really have the disorder. In other words, the statistics may be accurate but not portray the correct fraction of the population. Does that make sense? Like out of the X amount of people who meet the criteria for ADHD, only a certain percent of them actually get diagnosed. And the bulk of the people in the general population who make up the statistic do not actually meet the criteria. It's kind of confusing. I will try to find the link to the article and post it.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...gnosed-or-both

[krisakira]

Originally Posted by Miswimmy1

As what everyone else said, I think that many kids portray ADHD-like symptoms. The disorder is most likely overdiagnosed. Gifted kids may be bored and appear inattentive. Kids with other learning disabilities may act out in frustration. Kids who have difficult home situations may act out. Other mental disorders such as anxiety or depression may make the child appear inattentive and unfocused.

On the flip side, I read an article that said that ADHD is over-diagnosed among the general population but underdiagnosed among those who really have the disorder. In other words, the statistics may be accurate but not portray the correct fraction of the population. Does that make sense? Like out of the X amount of people who meet the criteria for ADHD, only a certain percent of them actually get diagnosed. And the bulk of the people in the general population who make up the statistic do not actually meet the criteria. It's kind of confusing. I will try to find the link to the article and post it.

Adult ADHD: Overdiagnosed? Underdiagnosed? Or Both? | Psychology Today

I was under diagnosed as a child, and now diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. It's not like I suddenly got it as an adult, I had it as a kid but my mom didn't want to medicate me so she never got me tested for a diagnosis. I think mine got over-looked because I made all A's throughout elementary school. I was in the smart classes too. The gifted and talented classes. But I remember being very bored in school and feel like I was suffering through being so bored and on edge all the time. Now that I'm in college, I really need the adderall to stay focused and it really explains why I do so horribly with chores and forgetfulness too. My mom always thought I was just messy and lazy.

[boyne]

Originally Posted by Nemo39122

I have a few theories:
#1. I honestly think it's over-diagnosed, mainly in kids. Correct me if I'm wrong here, and I'll admit to not doing much research on this specifically, but as far as I know ADHD is one of the only mental disorders you hear about kids supposedly outgrowing. If they really had an actual disorder, would it be that common to just outgrow it? I think people are rushing to label and medicate kids who are having certain problems, instead of looking into the cause(s) and trying to actually fix them...which is basically my 2nd theory.

as far as outgrowing, ADD/ADHD can be more intense at different periods in your life, but I don't know if it goes away or anything. it can also be more or less apparent/troublesome in different situations, hence its prevalence in schools. so for some kids, if it seems like they've outgrown it, maybe it's because they're no longer in a situation so much at odds with their ADD/ADHD.