And Now: ‘1 In 5 U.S. Children May Have Mental Disorder’

May 19th, 2013

In other news: “ADHD is a prime example of a fictitious disease.”

Via: CBS:

Nearly 1 in 5 children in the U.S. suffers from a mental disorder, and this number has been rising for more than a decade.

According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 20 percent of American children are suffering from mental disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression and autism.

The CDC’s first study of mental disorders among children aged 3 to 17 also found that the cost of medical bills for treatment of such disorders is up to $247 billion each year.

One Response to “And Now: ‘1 In 5 U.S. Children May Have Mental Disorder’”

  1. Ann says:

    ADHD is not a fictitious disease, but it is the world’s most over-diagnosed disease. I have worked with hundreds of children who have been diagnosed as ADHD. The number of them who actually had the disorder can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

    When a child has true ADHD, it is very obvious and very noticeable, especially when he or she is put together with children who do not have it (including those who have been diagnosed as having it but don’t). Once you have seen the real thing once, you can determine whether or not a child has it for real within a matter of minutes.

    Real ADHD affects boys 3-5x as often as girls and can sometimes be controlled, but not eliminated, by things like changing diets and limiting stimulation. I don’t know what causes it, but my guess would be a genetic predisposition coupled with exposure to something in utero.

    Real ADHD is overwhelming and can be downright scary, even to those who know how to deal with it. That it has become a convenient crutch for some parents and teachers to use to put kids on sedatives is one of the most ridiculous features of our times.

    The over-diagnosis of this disorder has gotten so bad that some people are labeling kids with the real disorder as having something else, which only compounds their problems.

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