A Bit of a Row over ADHD Diagnosis and Prescribing

By John M Grohol PsyD
February 20, 2006

Shrinkette is asking for some responses to whether ADHD is over-diagnosed and medications over-prescribed for it. Spurred on, no doubt, by stories such as this one or this one, it’s easy to believe that this is an overdiagnosed disorder, and in fact, there’s some research to support this assertion.

But shouldn’t the focus be on making the right and accurate diagnosis in the first place? I suspect much of this issue would go away if ADHD were more reliably diagnosed by professionals who understand the nuances of the diagnosis. It’s not just, “Hey, my kid isn’t paying attention in class.” It’s a little more complicated than that.

I don’t know that we know one way or another in a political and emotionally-charged debate like the one going on about ADHD, but I do know that if people are helped by the medication, there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s also nothing wrong with getting a second opinion from a specialist in child psychology or psychiatry if you’re concerned that perhaps your child was misdiagnosed.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues, and the intersection of technology and psychology since 1992.