ADHD Rates Surge Among American Children
- by Natasha Hobley and Barbara Loe Fisher
- Published
- Immune & Brain Disorders
ADHD cases have risen at an alarming rate in the United States according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of 2022, one in nine children had been diagnosed with ADHD—an increase of 5.4 million diagnoses since 2016.1 2
ADHD is formally known as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Researchers analyzed data from the 2022 National Survey of Children’s health to measure prevalence of the disorder in children ages 3-17. The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology and was based on more than 45,000 responses. Authors of the study called the ADHD an “ongoing and expanding public health concern.”1
This new report follows an ADHD prevalence report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2023. In that report, authors stated:
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by persistent and impairing inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, with a high prevalence among US children and considerable implications for individuals and families. Studies have found that prevalence of ADHD increased from 1997 to 2016 in US children. An analysis of the National Health Interview
Survey (NHIS) reported that the prevalence of ADHD among children increased from 6.1% in 1997 to 1998 to 10.2% in 2015 to 2016. Similarly, the National Survey of Children’s Health showed a 42.0% increase from 2003 to 2011.3 4
ADHD: A Neuroimmune and Developmental Disorder
ADHD (and the older term ADD or attention deficit disorder) has been described in the medical literature as a psychological, neuroimmune or developmental disorder.5 There is growing evidence that children with ADHD have neuroinflammation and are vulnerable to autoimmune disorders.6 There is also evidence that children and adults with ADHD have environmental, lifestyle and genetic high risk factors that have not been fully identified.7
There have been reports of an association between ADHD and adverse responses to vaccines.8 In 2013, an Institute of Medicine committee published a report concluding that there is not enough scientific evidence to determine if the recommended early child vaccine schedule (birth to age six) is or is not associated with the development of a number of brain and immune system disorders prevalent among children today, including attention deficit disorder.9
Half of Children With ADHD are on Medication
Approximately half of the children diagnosed with ADHD are taking medication for it, and the disorder tends to be more common in boys; children living in lower income households; children with public health insurance, and children living in rural areas.
Melissa Danielson, MSPH, lead author of the study and CDC statistician, said she thinks there are two main reasons for the trend. The first reason is that there is more awareness about ADHD, which makes the cases easier to identify. The second reason is that more children are being tested and diagnosed since there are more treatments available. She added, “It could be a positive finding” because study results suggest more children are being screened.3
Global Market of ADHD Medication May Exceed $45 Billion
ADHD medications are a profitable industry. The global market is estimated to be worth $25.05 billion in 2024 and $45.51 billion by 2034.10
A series of articles in PBS Frontline’s The Business of ADHD contained interviews with several psychiatrists, physicians, and other professionals who study and treat ADHD and are critical of the pharmaceutical industry’s vested interest in diagnosing and treating ADHD.11
Physician Lawrence Diller, MD, author of the book Running on Ritalin, discusses how the business of ADHD is fueled by pharmaceutical industry marketing and influence to doctors. Diller stated:
The makers of Adderall have presented what I consider to be the most disingenuous, elaborate campaign I’ve ever seen or experienced. I’ve been offered $100 if I will sit and listen to someone talk about ADHD, funded by Adderall, for 15 minutes on the telephone and then fill out a five-minute questionnaire.12
Pharmaceutical Industry Lobbying and Marketing “Tilts the Balance” in Favor of Medications
Dr. Diller also criticizes the imbalance of funding that goes toward promoting prescription drug use as opposed to other therapies. Psychiatrist William Dodson, MD echoed these criticisms. He said:
The pharmaceutical companies make profits off the Ritalin or Adderall or Concerta. They’re companies. They can strategize and put out a marketing message. The alternative therapies—such as behavioral therapy or psychotherapy— don’t have that kind of lobbying muscle or marketing muscle. Therefore it tilts the balance in favor of medication over other therapies.11
ADHD and other neuroimmune, developmental or psychological disorders are diagnosed using criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) written by the American Psychiatric Association. Some of the many criteria that fall under an ADHD diagnosis include fidgeting with hands or feet; running or climbing excessively in inappropriate situations; talking excessively; making mistakes in schoolwork or other activities, and often losing things necessary for tasks. All criteria fall under either an “inattention” or a “hyperactivity” category.12
Panel Members for Mental Disorders Diagnostic Guidelines Funded by Pharma
A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in January 2024 found that 55 of the 92 doctors in the U.S. who determine diagnoses and treatments in the DSM, collectively received over $14 million funding from pharmaceutical companies. Panel members who received the most compensation were those working in diagnostic areas in which drug interventions are often the standard treatment.13
Processed Foods Linked to ADHD
There is evidence of an association between highly processed foods, which are so prevalent in the American diet, and diagnosis of all disease, including mental illness diagnoses. Research suggests that between 60 to 90 percent of the standard American diet now consists of foods and beverages that are highly processed.14
Artificial food dyes are a more well-known contributor to attention deficit problems. The state of California did its own research on food dyes after concluding that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Acceptable Daily Intake levels (ADIs) for synthetic dyes were based on 35-70 year-old studies that didn’t measure adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in some children, such as ADHD. Discussing the findings, the director of the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Lauren Zeise, PhD, said:
Evidence shows that synthetic food dyes are associated with adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in some children. With increasing numbers of U.S. children diagnosed with behavioral disorders, this assessment can inform efforts to protect children from exposures that may exacerbate behavioral problems.15
Some research has concluded that food preservatives, such as sodium benzoate and carrageenan, are also contributing factors to ADHD-type behaviors. However, as previously mentioned, large studies on treatments other than pharmaceutical medications are rarely funded and hard to find.
Andrew Kemp, PhD, a professor of pediatric allergy and clinic immunology, wrote:
In view of the relatively harmless intervention of eliminating colorings and preservatives, and the large numbers of children taking drugs for hyperactivity, it might be proposed that an appropriately supervised and evaluated trial of eliminating colorings and preservatives should be part of standard treatment for individual children.16
One common side effect of ADHD medication is suppressed appetite, which can make nourishing children appropriately an even harder task, and can contribute to a vicious cycle of behavioral issues.
A 14-year-long study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders in 2010 concluded that ADHD is largely a Western nation problem and is linked to the Western diet.17 While American children are continuously becoming sick with obesity, chronic illness, fatty liver, and mental disorders18 at an alarming and increasing rate, pharmaceutical companies continue to push medications, and government health agencies continue to champion vaccines, and the “Big Food” industry promotes processed foods.
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