Use of ADHD meds is rising sharply

The use of drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in kids is on the rise, especially with adolescents, according to a new national survey.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In 2008, the medications were used by 3.5 percent of children ages 18 and younger, compared to 2.4 percent in 1996. However, among children ages 13 to 18, the rate of use increased by a figure of 6.5 percent annually, climbing from 2.3 percent in 1996 to 5 percent in 2008. 

The results of the survey were published in the online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry. 

At some point, as many as 9 percent of all children are diagnosed as having ADHD. The condition is associated with a lack of attention, hyper-activity, or impulsiveness, which are out of the normal range for a child of their age and development. It is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder for school-aged children. Boys are three times as likely to be diagnosed with it than girls. 

There is some belief that ADHD may run in families, but the exact causes remain a mystery. It does seem to manifest itself early as the brain is developing. Research indicated that the brains of children with ADHD function differently than the brains of children who do not have the condition. 

Along with ADHD, several conditions may arise to complicate it including, a lack of sleep, tic disorders, and learning disabilities. 

Part of the concern regarding the rise in numbers is over the medications themselves. Over the past decade new drugs have been developed to treat the condition and there is concern that the stimulants may be over prescribed and even misused. 

Researchers wrote in their report, "As the market for ADHD medications has expanded, concerns have been raised about the possible misuse and abuse of stimulants, especially because the increase in ADHD diagnoses has been most marked in adolescents." 

The researchers also found that race and geography were factors in the use of medications. Whites were most likely to use the medications at 4.4 percent, with African Americans at 3 percent and Hispanics at just 2.1 percent. Experts say this is likely because racial minority groups tend to be under served when it comes to mental health resources owing to a relative lack of insurance in those demographics. 

Meanwhile, children in the Northeast (4.6 percent) were much more likely than children in the West (1.6 percent) to take the stimulants. 

The survey also pointed out that most of the children diagnosed with ADHD do not take any medications for it. The reason for that finding may be that the symptoms are sufficiently mild or that parents may prefer other forms of treatment, including therapy, to address the disorder. 

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What you need to know:

-Stimulant use among children for ADHD has increased rapidly over the past decade-and-a-half. That rise is mostly among adolescents.

-Boys are three times as likely to be diagnosed and medicated as girls. 

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