Overdiagnosis Of Adhd Essay

Fix it: The Overdiagnosis of ADHD

The rising ADHD overdiagnosis epidemic is seen everywhere in all ages. Many adults, teens, and children are being diagnosed and treated for a disorder with as little as a single symptom of being energetic. Overdiagnosis leads to overtreatment, which is dangerous, especially when dealing with a mental disorder. This can be fought by altering the DSM guidelines for the disorder and requiring more precise and cautious procedures before a diagnosis for ADHD.

While there are many stereotypes and stigmas around the neurodevelopmental disorder, ADHD is defined by the CDC as a chronic condition including attention difficulty, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. National population surveys reflect an increase in the

The most commonly abused stimulants are medications used to treat ADHD, such as Ritalin, Adderall and Vyvanse.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the handbook used by health care professionals in the United States and much of the world as the authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders. Over the years, the DSM handbook has gotten more and more open-minded with its diagnosis of the disorder. For example, it changed the classification from “disorders usually diagnosed in infancy, childhood, and adolescence” to “Neurodevelopmental disorders”, the age of onset from before age 7 to before age 12, and the requirement from an interreference with social, academic, and occupational functioning to just needing one of the interferences. “There are no definitions in the UK, US, or Australian guidelines or in DSM-5 that quantify milk or moderate ADHD. We argue that the overdiagnosis of ADHD resides within the clinical subjectivity of impairment,” (Thomas 1). Making the classification for ADHD more conservative or specific would prevent the