More Frequent Diagnosis of Attention Deficit–Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered to be the most common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood,¹ but there are no firm estimates of its prevalence. Dramatic increases have been reported in the frequency of the diagnosis of ADHD and the prescription of methylphenidate,² a stimulant drug used for decades to treat this disorder,³ but these increases have not been verified.