What You Need to Know about ADHD Treatment

Research on 146 million U.S. citizens correlates ADHD treatment with outcomes, including suicide risk.

by Psychiatry for the People, originally published on Psychology Today by Neighborhood Psychiatry

ADHD ( Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is thought to affect over 5 to 12 percent of school-age children, twice as many boys than girls, persisting into adulthood in at least 5 percent of people.

In spite of controversy, ADHD is considered by experts to be under-diagnosed and under-treated in children and adults. Under-treatment worsens problems with self-esteem, executive function, work and productivity, and negative effects on mood and anxiety. ADHD persisting into adulthood impairs emotion regulation, sense of self, performance and marital function.

Treating ADHD has been shown to prevent motor vehicle accidents, injuries and criminal behavior. People with ADHD are often gifted, but thwarted and feeling extremely frustrated and misunderstood.

The economic impact of ADHD is estimated to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars per year , much of that cost born directly by families, and is a major cause of missed school and work. Treatment of ADHD is challenging due to high cost and the fact that medication alone is not enough, and diagnosis is often complicated as ADHD can overlap with other conditions. Many people assume they have ADHD, when they may not.