Use of psychotropic drugs for hyperactivity soars over ten years

Tuesday, March 27, 2007 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
Tags: hyperactivity, psychotropic drugs, health news

The use of drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) skyrocketed between 1993 and 2003, according to a study in "Health Affairs." The prescription of such drugs nearly quadrupled, while global spending on them increased by a factor of nine.

Jump directly to: conventional view | alternative view | resources | bottom line

What you need to know - Conventional View

• Between 1993 and 2003, the use of medications to treat ADHD increased by 274 percent.

• Eighty-three percent of the increase in spending on ADHD drugs took place in the United States. The United States, Canada, and Australia all prescribed the drugs at rates higher than the global average.

• In the United Kingdom, where differences in neurological development are more likely to be seen as a part of natural human variation, prescriptions of ADHD medications still grew by 12.3 percent between 1999 and 2003, with spending increasing by 30.8 percent.

• ADHD is claimed to be a persistent and chronic neurological disorder, the primary symptoms of which are hyperactivity, poor attention span, and low impulse control. There is no biological or physiological test to diagnose ADHD.

• There is no "cure" for ADHD, but a variety of medications are used to treat the symptoms. Study leader Richard Scheffler, of the University of California-Berkeley, said that one in 25 children and adolescents in the United States is currently taking ADHD medication.

• Quote: "ADHD could become the leading childhood disorder treated with medications across the globe." - Richard Scheffler

What you need to know - Alternative View

Statements and opinions by Mike Adams, author of Natural Health Solutions and the Conspiracy to Keep You From Knowing About Them

• ADHD is a fictitious disease invented by drug companies to sell patented chemicals to children.

• The rise in ADHD prescriptions is based entirely on the marketing of the disease and has nothing to do with evidence-based medicine.

• ADHD symptoms can be alleviated in as little as two weeks with simple dietary changes such as avoiding processed foods, additives and sugary beverages.

Resources you need to know

• See Dr. Fred Baughman at http://www.adhdfraud.org

• Download the free interview with Dr. Baughman at http://www.naturalhealthlibrary.com

Bottom line

• The prescription of drugs to treat ADHD increased by 274 percent between 1993 and 2003.