Today's Health Notes

Half of Kids with AD/HD Don't Receive Medication

(November 2006) Though the percentage of kids taking medications for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) has soared in recent years, new research concludes that many kids who suffer from the disorder are not receiving drug treatment. The research, published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, suggests that concerns about overmedication of children for AD/HD are unfounded.

In a study of 1,610 children, ages 7 to 17, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that only about half of those with AD/HD (58 percent of the boys and 45 percent of the girls) were receiving prescribed medication. The researchers speculated that:

• untreated children aren't being identified and diagnosed, or


• their parents are choosing not to put their children on medication.

Among children in the study who did not have AD/HD - but had some AD/HD-like symptoms - only 3.6 percent of the boys and 2.6 percent of the girls were taking medication. The researchers noted that most of the kids taking medication without a full diagnosis had a twin sibling who had been diagnosed with AD/HD.

The study seems to address widely reported concerns about children being overprescribed medication for AD/HD. "Our study found little evidence for widespread misuse of these medications in children and adolescents," says Richard D. Todd, M.D., Ph.D., head of child psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine.

Most of the parents in the study whose children were receiving medication for AD/HD reported that it helped, Todd says. Still, only half of children who might benefit are currently being treated. "Clearly," he adds, "there is room for improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of AD/HD."

- Christina Elston