We all know that jittery feeling of not being able to pay attention in class or while we are trying to do our homework. It turns from getting distracted between chapters to having to reread entire pages because we didn’t remember a single word from that page. Many of us are inclined to say, “I probably have A.D.H.D that was missed from when I was a child.” But according to the New York Times article “The Not-So-Hidden Cause Behind the A.D.H.D Epidemic”, new scientific research is showing that A.D.H.D diagnosis has become more prevalent (some call it an epidemic) due to societal and policy changes, rather than changes in our genes.
In the past, children who had trouble concentrating and therefore fell behind in school or misbehaved were labeled as troublemakers. Nowadays, due to FDA rules changes which allow for easier marketing and distribution of A.D.H.D medicine, it is easier to give a child (or adult) medicine and “see if it works.” The inclusion of A.D.H.D in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act in 1991, gave children with the diagnosis some advantages like more time on standardized tests. Standardized testing actually has a correlation with mass diagnoses of A.D.H.D in certain states over other states. States and schools are incentivized to have children diagnosed with A.D.H.D because they can give those kids more time, or even exclude their scores from the school average, thereby increasing their chances of being rewarded financially.
The United States also has higher rates of A.D.H.D diagnosis than other countries. This is because we rely on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, while use the International Classification of Diseases, which sets stricter guidelines for diagnosis of behavioral problems. Overall, scientific research shows that although A.D.H.D has biological basis, the over diagnosis in the United States especially is due to higher expectations of our children, education standards, and more competition to get into college. These cultural and societal factors manifested in policy changes, can lead normal children to being pathologized, or regarded as psychologically unhealthy, when in fact they are just children struggling to meet the high demands of society. So next time you find it hard to concentrate, don’t go reaching for A.D.H.D medicine thinking that something is wrong with you, it’s totally normal to get distracted.
Baker, Maggie K. “The Not-So-Hidden Cause Behind the ADHD Epidemic.” New York Times. New York Times, 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/magazine/the-not-so-hidden-cause-behind-the-adhd-epidemic.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=health
