ADHD is a disorder that derives from hyperactivity and the inability to focus. ADHD has become more and more overprescribed in the US throughout the years. Why does the over prescription of ADHD matter? It matters because our youth is being negatively affected by these drugs. Not only is the usage of ADHD medications growing, but the number of children that have the accessibility to these pills at young ages is increasing as well. The reality is that ADHD medication is becoming too common in today’s day in age. ADHD is over diagnosed and therefore the medication is subsequently overprescribed, causing negative side effects and misuse in adolescents. Of course, the medication is well-intentioned, but this does not disregard the abuse and mistreatment that occurs.

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Kathryn Brown, a writer for a Neuroscience scholarly article gives, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual definition for ADHD, it is as follows: “a person with ADHD has been severely inattentive (forgetful, careless, distracted, etc.) or hyperactive/impulsive (restless, impatient, aggressive, etc.) for at least 6 months. To qualify as ADHD, those symptoms must emerge before 7 years of age, be maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level, and impair social or work routines in at least two settings, usually home or school”.  At first glance, this seems like a pretty serious disorder. Brown says that it is the most commonly diagnosed disorder among children with about 3 to 5 percent of children being diagnosed with it. Dr. Roy Boorady, a doctor for Child Mind Institute, says that “ADHD is the most extensively studied pediatric mental health disorder…” as well. Dr. Daniel Connor, a specialist of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, says that ADHD is most commonly found in boys more than girls under the age of 20. Dr. Boorady explains a lot of the scientific parts of ADHD, how it works, how it affects the body and brain, and explains the different types of medications. Dr. Roy explains how ADHD medications increase the amounts of dopamine to decrease the ability to be distracted and norepinephrine to improve focus. Dr. Boorady says that the key in prescribing ADHD medications is to find balance, too much of either neurotransmitter can lead to stress which is what the medications are generally trying to prevent. There are two types of ADHD medications: methylphenidates and amphetamines. The main difference between these medications are the way the medications release what is inside, how quickly it is released, and how long the medicine lasts. There are many different types of medications. To start, Ritalin is the most common methylphenidate. Some others include: Concerta, Metadate CD, Ritalin- LA, Focalin, Quillivant XR, and Daytrana. The most common amphetamines are Adderall and Vyvanse. Vyvanse is the strongest of the medications, lasting up to 14 hours and can be seen most commonly throughout high school and college (Boorady). The medications that surround ADHD have many common side effects that have many different causations and frequencies.

The side effects of ADHD are vast and come in many different shapes and sizes. There are many side effects that come with any medication. But there are a lot of ADHD medications and there are a lot of side effects that go with them. Jane Collingwood, a writer for Psych Central says that there are many side effects from taking ADHD medications and they are common. A study showed that nearly half of 325 patients surveyed said that they experienced at least one side effect, the most common were insomnia, mood swings, and loss of appetite. A little over twenty percent of the 325 patients surveyed said that the side effects were “very” or “extremely bothersome” (Collingwood). Collingwood points out again that there are plenty of ADHD medications out there today, the most common being Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine), Adderall (dextroamphetamine), and Ritalin (methylphenidate). Another article from Consumer Reports comments on the side effects of ADHD medications. They also found that there is a high occurrence of side effects from both amphetamines, eighty four percent, and methylphenidates, eighty one percent (“Pros and Cons”). Another study says that over ninety five percent of Vyvanse side effects are mild or moderate. About ten percent of 272 kids surveyed stopped taking Vyvanse because of the drug’s side effects (Collingwood). Collingwood points out again that over sixty percent of these children had experienced loss of appetite while taking a stimulant drug. Stimulant drugs are any drugs that excites the body and stimulates the brain to increase alertness. These stimulant drugs have also had a link to decrease in expected height within the first few years of treatment (Collingwood). Consumer Reports found that loss of appetite and weight, upset stomach and irritability were among the most common side effects (“Pros and Cons”). The Swedish Council conducted a study to find that side effects of these medications among adults consist of loss of appetite, dry mouth, erectile dysfunction, and headaches. The side effects of ADHD would lead to a belief that the prescription of these medications would slow, but they are doing the opposite, multiplying rapidly every year. A lot of people believe that these doctors are overprescribing so they can get more money for themselves.

In almost every journal, there has been a documented increase in diagnosis of ADHD. There have been arguments, however, that this could be because of one of two things: actual over diagnosis or a better understanding of the disorder which then would lead to an increased number of actually recognized cases. Koplewicz and Newmark both partake in an article that argues both sides of the debate, ADHD is and isn’t overprescribed. Newmark argues that ADHD is overprescribed; he and is the head of the pediatric and neurodevelopmental program at University of California at San Francisco while Koplewicz argues that ADHD is fine the way it is; he is the president of the Child Mind Institute in New York. Newmark says that a lot of the argument is that ADHD is mistaken for children that are immature or lack the discipline from their parents. Newmark says that it is true that ADHD is real and has medications with many benefits to people that need it. A study from the Journal of Health economics found that the youngest students in their class were almost two times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and take ADHD medications compared to the oldest students in their class (Koplewicz and Newmark). Why is that? Newmark says that it is because whomever is making the diagnosis is not taking the time to spot the difference between immaturity and ADHD. The study says that this confusion could take account for 20 percent of the current children with ADHD, about 900,000 kids. Newmark explains that the one diagnosing is not taking the proper steps to diagnosing their patients. William Daly, an education writer, found that teachers and parents were pressuring the person that prescribes the medication to give the medication because everyone around the patient is convinced that the patient has the disorder. When this pressure occurs, a non-biased and correct assessment doesn’t usually occur. Many children are diagnosed within 30 minutes which isn’t normal (Koplewicz and Newmark). The doctor prescribing the medication doesn’t have the proper time and allowance to see if it is actually ADHD and not a “look-a-like”, examples include: reading or math disorder, mental retardation, anxiety, or emotional disturbance (Daly). Newmark blames the parents for the lack of care they show their children. He explains a day of an average kid and goes on to say that ADHD is a “simple pill to fix it can become an easy choice”, not the right one. Daly gives an example of a girl who can’t focus in school, doesn’t listen, and talks too much and everyone around her is sure that she has ADHD. Among further examination, she has a tremendous IQ and works quietly when alone, the point is that outgoing children often get told they have ADHD at young ages. Newmark explains that even when ADHD is correctly diagnosed, the medication is still overprescribed. Between 2005 and 2009, there was a nine and a half percent increase in the prescribing of ADHD stimulants for children (Connor). Overprescribing does exist, a study conducted in counties in western North Carolina found that more than seven percent of children were receiving ADHD medications but not even half of those children definitely had ADHD (Koplewicz and Newmark). The over diagnoses and overprescribing of ADHD medications lead inevitably to the drugs being misused and abused by irresponsible people receiving the medications.

The abuse and misuse of ADHD medication is not very present in younger children but the older these diagnosed children get; the more pressure is put on them to wrongly give out their medications to friends that want to be able to focus longer. The mishandling and abuse of these medications cannot really be documented because they are underhanded. From experience, the abuse of the medication is very clear, especially on college campuses and around exam time. The two main components and types of ADHD medications are methylphenidate and amphetamine, which Dr. Connor says have a past rep of being abused. An analysis with over 100,000 patients showed that in the past year, five to nine percent of adolescents used nonprescribed ADHD medication and anywhere from five to thirty five percent of college students used medication not prescribed to them (Connor). It may seem like a harmless act when doing it, but giving or selling someone else prescribed medication without proper licensing is a crime and can be punished with jail time. The misunderstanding of ADHD is a big topic amongst parents. The Swedish Council did a study and found that both parents and teachers felt like they weren’t fully informed about ADHD. When young children are medicated, it leaves a strange feeling amongst parents and teachers especially when there isn’t really another option. Medications aren’t that bad after all, neither are the side effects, nor the amount of diagnosis.

The counterargument, the good that the medications do as well as the proper diagnosing and prescribing. ADHD medications do plenty of good, they aid many people on a daily basis. Consumer Reports found that sixty to eighty percent of teenagers who take ADHD medications become less hyperactive and less impulsive, can focus more, and are less disruptive in all settings. There hasn’t been conclusive evidence that these medication benefits last longer than 2 years though. Parents have a large say in their children’s partaking in these medications. Many of them are fine with medicated their children while many aren’t (“Pros and Cons”). Consumer Reports found that a little over half of the parents surveyed said that they would do it over exactly how they did. About forty percent said they wished that there was another way (“Pros and Cons”). The medication worked well though, according to Consumer Reports and the parents surveyed. The medications were considered “very helpful” for thirty five percent of parents in the categories of academic performance and school behavior. Home behavior, relationships, and self-esteem were “very helpful” for around twenty percent each. Parents weren’t completely satisfied with many aspects of the medications. Only about forty percent were “completely or very satisfied” and about thirty percent were “dissatisfied” (“Pros and Cons”). Sanford Newmark says that ADHD medications lower the symptoms of seventy percent of children taking the medication. Harold Koplewicz defends the attack that ADHD is overprescribed. He says that the reason that ADHD prescription has gone up is because more and more people are becoming more aware of ADHD. He says that ADHD prescription has gone up anywhere from three to five percent a year. Koplewicz defends his claim by saying that in order to be prescribed, the patient must be obviously an outlier compared to other children their age in the areas of impulsiveness, and inattentiveness, not just an immature child. Harold concedes that there are some places that aren’t following the proper steps in diagnosing patients and that that needs to come to an end. Dr. Connor says that the public’s concern that ADHD is overprescribed and over diagnosed is not backed by any scientific research. There may be an evolutionary reasoning behind ADHD, that is why Brown suggests that ADHD may be a good thing. The ADHD gene has been selected by the body throughout natural selection and evolution which means that the gene could be a part of an adaptive trait, but the gene is very specific. Robert Moyzis from the National Academy of Sciences says that, “kids with this gene version may have inherited faster reaction times or different attention spans, and now we’re calling this a disorder” (Brown). 

Why does all of this affect me? Well, I grew up watching many people explain to me that they have ADHD. A lot of my friends really did have ADHD and it was apparent when the bad cases didn’t take their medicine in the morning before school. The older I got, the more people seemed to have ADHD around me. Maybe more people were open about it or maybe they had been recently prescribed. As a student, I saw many kids asking others who had access to these medications for help near exam time. It seems innocent, just a friend helping another friend out but it’s not innocent. It angered me seeing people that were smarter than me get extra time on tests or quizzes. Maybe my peers weren’t actually smarter than me, but they had extra time to think, therefore more time to do well. I understand that some people that do have ADHD need more time to think and be organized. I am talking about the cases where ADHD isn’t present and these kids are getting 3 extra hour on standardized testing and taking less than 10 mg of ADHD medication in the weakest form. I feel so strongly about this topic because it has affected me so much. The younger generations seem to be growing as ADHD medication recipients. I had no idea this was actually such a big problem until I showed interest and researched it. This paper gave enough information to make anyone believe that ADHD is overprescribed and over diagnosed among adolescents.
