You are not alone.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral childhood disorder, and the fastest growing diagnosed behavioral disorder in adults. Since 1990, the total number of American children diagnosed with ADHD has risen from (900,000) to over (5,500,000). There are approximately (1,000,000) new cases of ADHD diagnosed yearly in children and (600,000) new cases per year diagnosed in adults in the U.S. In fact, it is estimated that as much as 85% of the adult ADHD population and 50% of the pediatric population is currently undiagnosed.
Fifty percent or more of the school-aged population who have ADHD also have another behavioral disorder (known as "comorbidity"). Another 15-20% of children display transient symptoms consistent with ADHD. Approximately half of all children diagnosed with ADHD continue to manifest impairing symptoms throughout their adult life.
Proper ADHD diagnosis can be challenging
Properly diagnosing ADHD can be a complicated proposition for clinicians for a number of reasons. ADHD actually comprises three (3) distinct subtypes of attention disorder with separate sets of criteria that can and do occur in combinations of one another. Many other conditions also produce clinical symptoms similar to those disorders classified as ADHD and pose a problem in the differential clinical diagnosis of ADHD . To further hinder the diagnostic process, several specific symptoms of ADHD match those of other syndromes and disabilities such as learning disabilities, petit mal seizures, anxiety and/or depression.
Another problem related to accurate ADHD diagnosis is the presence of other comorbid conditions in ADHD patients. Studies have found that a large percentage of children with ADHD have or will develop Bipolar Disorder. It is imperative to know whether ADHD is co-existent with Bipolar Disorder for a patient. Why? Because if the ADHD is treated BEFORE the Bipolar Disorder, the patient could experience severe manic episodes.
In light of the above, the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD has become extremely controversial. Some studies indicate that up to (20%) of children in some school districts have been diagnosed with ADHD . In other school districts, the prevalence rate is closer to (2%). This extreme variability strongly suggests the lack of a consistently applied standard and/or a lack of understanding of the basic biology of the disorder. Indeed, the American Psychiatric Association has acknowledged that in studies it has performed, clinicians routinely misapply the established criteria for the diagnosis of ADHD as set-forth in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), Volume IV. These studies demonstrated that the accepted diagnostic criteria were used less than half of the time.
Finally, An Objective Evaluation Tool.
It is evident that current psychological diagnosis of ADHD leaves much to be desired and that there is an urgent need for a more objective tool to assist in the evaluation of ADHD . Brain SPECT Imaging has proven itself as an extremely effective tool in helping physicians to identify the presence (or absence) of ADHD dysfunction in both children and adults. It can also help to differentiate ADHD from other related conditions such as Bipolar Disorder.
|
