January 20, 2021Just 19% of American youth diagnosed with ADHD are receiving medication treatment, according to a review and meta-analysis published in The Journal of Attention Disorders.1 Findings from the study suggest that, for every overtreated or improperly treated American youth, there are three more undertreated youths with ADHD.The study rose from a debate over whether pharmacological treatment for youths with ADHD is overused or underused in the U.S.
Researchers screened more than 25,000 potentially relevant studies, and retained 36 studies of 104,305 individuals. Using the 18 studies that met the main analysis criteria (that diagnosis was established using DSM criteria or validated rating scales, and not parental report), researchers identified three groups:Across the studies, pharmacological treatment rates were 19.1 % and 0.9 % in school-age children/adolescents with and without ADHD, respectively.
Essentially, more than 80% of youth diagnosed with ADHD were not being treated with medication.In an A.D.D. Resource Center blog post on the study, David Rabiner, Ph.D.
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