More ADHD Diagnosed

I think most parents would like to avoid giving their kids any drugs if at all possible. I have never talked to a parent who has said they want their kids on drugs, but doctors won't prescribe them. I have certainly heard ADHD is over-diagnosed. I have no idea if that's true. All I know is that school can be very challenging for kids-especially if they are hyper. Do you know kids who are medicated for ADHD?

FROM NBC: It appears more and more kids in the u-s are being diagnosed with ADHD. And some doctors say -- this is good news. About one out of every ten kids has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. That's according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control -- where researchers asked parents both in 2003 and 2007 if their kids had ever received such a diagnosis.

In that 4-year span ADHD diagnoses jumped by 20-percent. Dr. Michael Manos/ Cleveland Clinic : "There is a public awareness of what ADHD is and people are recognizing it." Dr. Michael Manos at the Cleveland Clinic says it's not that the condition is more prevalent.. it's that doctors, parents and teachers are getting better at identifying it.. even though some of the symptoms can mimic typical kid behavior.

Dr. Michael Manos/Cleveland Clinic :"Being disorganized, not having all your materials ready, interrupting people, not listening when somebody is speaking." The report also shows an increase in ADHD diagnoses in teens and Hispanic children. More than half of the children in the study with ADHD were being treated with medication, though it's unclear how many also received behavioral therapy in addition to or in place of medicine.

Dr. Michael Manos / Cleveland Clinic: "There are now so many children that don't have to experience the symptoms of ADHD and have the problems that come from that." Problems that -- when identified correctly -- have a chance to be properly treated. Doctors say misdiagnosis is possible -- and that some children are diagnosed with the condition when they're simply not being challenged enough in school. Experts say that makes it all the more necessary to seek proper care from a qualified doctor.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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