Eight percent of US kids have ADHD

Just under 8 percent of U.S. children ages 4 to 17 had ever been diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 2003, and more than half of them are being treated with drugs, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.

Boys are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls, especially boys from poorer families, the CDC said.

The 2003 survey is the first comprehensive analysis of precisely how many U.S. children have the disorder and how many are on medication for it, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

"In 2003, approximately 7.8 percent (4.4 million) of U.S. children aged 4 to 17 years had ever had ADHD diagnosed," according to report. Estimates had ranged from anywhere between 2 percent and 18 percent, the CDC said.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder (a problem related to brain development) that causes hyperactivity (always on the move), impulsive behavior (doing things without any self control), and attention problems (not able to pay attention). ADHD is the most common problem encountered in outpatient child and adolescent mental health settings. It is estimated that ADHD affects between 4 percent and 12 percent of school-aged children, more often boys than girls. Studies suggest that the amount of ADHD seen in the population has risen significantly in recent years. This is partly because of an increased awareness and recognition of the disorder, and partly because the specific things needed to make the diagnosis of ADHD have been more clearly defined during the past 20 years.
It said 2.5 million, or 56 percent, had ever taken medication for the disorder.

"ADHD diagnosis was reported approximately 2.5 times more frequently among males than females. Prevalence of reported ADHD increased with age and was significantly lower among children aged 4 to 8 years compared with children aged more than 9 years."

For the report, the CDC experts analyzed data from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health.

It said more 6-year-old boys were on medication for ADHD - 4.3 percent - than girls in any age group.

"The highest rates of drug treatment for ADHD by sex and age were reported among males aged 12 years (9.3 percent) and among females aged 11 years (3.7 percent)," the CDC said.

To be diagnosed with ADHD a child must have six or more symptoms for six months including frequent failure to pay attention in schoolwork or play, frequent mistakes due to inattention to schoolwork, frequent failure to listen when spoken to directly, failure to followup on chores and forgetfulness.