Is your child just misbehaving or being unruly ? Child care therapists are beginning to question whether some ADHD cases have been misdiagnosed. Parents and some experts are afraid that the ADHD label is just an all too convenient tag for any problematical child.

Just looking at the figures for Ritalin - the most common drug for ADHD in the UK- makes you wonder. In a ten year period, the number of cases rose from 4,000 to 360,000. The costs to the National Health Service are a cool 28 million ! But many parents are querying whether this term is being abused and that disobedient behaviour is being labelled as a medical condition.

Experts disagree and there are two camps. In one camp, we have those who say that the actual number of children diagnosed with ADHD is only a fraction of those really suffering from the problem and that the ratio is 1 in every 20 children. In the second camp, we have those experts who say that many children are misdiagnosed and that the problem is exaggerated.

The fact that diagnosis of ADHD is notoriously difficult and relies on a questionnaire has fueled even more the doubts or parents and child carers. Interpretation of the answers remains somewhat subjective. One main difference however is whether the child displays problematical behaviour in certain situations or settings or in all of them. If the latter, s/he may well have ADHD.

Most symptoms of ADHD are well documented although there will be differences from child to child. Usually they will fall into two groups, that of inattention and impulsiveness coupled with hyperactivity. He or she will have difficulty in concentrating, even for a very short period. There will be problems of impulsiveness coupled with inability to assess risks. When playing with peers, he or she will have problems with taking turns.

A larger and larger number of parents are single and breadwinners. The family structure has changed and the single parent will find it a challenge in bringing up children. Social reasons too play a role in that the children themselves play outside less and less. They are glued to the TV and computers. This leads to more consumption of snacks which contain additives which may cause hyperactivity.

Doctors have come in for criticism also.There are many cases of a misdiagnosis where the child does NOT have ADHD. The pharmaceutical companies are laughing all the way to the bank as they watch their sales of ADHD medications rocket! Side effects of some of these drugs are worrying. A popular drug, Adderall, was recently taken off the market in Canada because there was evidence of heart problems in children with a predisposed heart condition. Research recently published does stress that therapy rather than drugs is much more effective in the long term.

Whether your child has ADHD or not may be hard to decide in some cases. Whatever the diagnosis, you will need advice on handling children. The site below has been written by a doctor who has two children with ADHD. He shares his expertise in dealing with difficult children.

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