Nearly one in five high school age boys in the United States and 11 percent of school-age children over all have received a medical diagnosis of
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to new data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
...
About two-thirds of those with a current diagnosis receive prescriptions for stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, which can ... also lead to
addiction, anxiety and occasionally psychosis.
...
even more teenagers are likely to be prescribed medication in the near future because the American Psychiatric Association plans to change the
definition of A.D.H.D. to allow more people to receive the diagnosis and treatment.
...
Pills that are shared with or sold to classmates — diversion long tolerated in college settings and gaining traction in high-achieving high schools —
are particularly dangerous, doctors say, because of their health risks when abused.
...
Because the pills can vastly improve focus and drive among those with perhaps only traces of the disorder, an A.D.H.D. diagnosis has become a popular
shortcut to better grades, some experts said, with many students unaware of or disregarding the medication’s health risks.
...
“There’s no way that one in five high-school boys has A.D.H.D.,” said James Swanson, a professor of psychiatry ... And with all those pills around,
how much of that actually goes to friends? Some studies have said it’s about 30 percent.”
...
|
