This Month in Psychopharmacology

US Trends in Pediatric ADHD Diagnosis

In this large epidemiological survey involving data from 186,457 children and adolescents (age 4-17 years) in the United States, the authors found that the prevalence of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder has steadily increased from 6.1% in 1997-1998 to 10.1% in 2015-2016. The increase in prevalence is seen across all ethnic groups, sexes, and socioeconomic statuses as well as in all geographic regions of the US. Factors that account for the increased prevalence are hypothesized to include: increased continuing medical education that has raised clinician awareness for ADHD; changes to the diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5, with the ADHD predominantly inattentive subtype perhaps leading to increased diagnosis, especially in girls; increased public awareness and access to care; initiation of the Affordable Care Act, leading to increased access to services among minorities and those of lower socioeconomic status; and etiological factors including exposure to potential risk factors such as maternal cigarette smoking, exposure to lead, and nutritional influences.

Reference:

Xu et al. JAMA Network Open 2018;Epub ahead of print. Abstract



For more information on ADHD:

This Month in Psychopharmacology: ADHD