One in Nine U.S. Children Have Ever Been Diagnosed With ADHD

THURSDAY, May 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in U.S. children continue to increase, with approximately one in nine having ever received a diagnosis, according to a study published online May 23 in the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.

Melissa L. Danielson, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues used data from the 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health to estimate the prevalence of ever diagnosed and current ADHD among U.S. children ages 3 to 17 years.

The researchers found that approximately one in nine U.S. children have ever received an ADHD diagnosis (11.4 percent or an estimated 7.1 million children). One in 10 have a current ADHD diagnosis (10.5 percent or an estimated 6.5 million children). Among children with current ADHD, 58.1 percent have moderate or severe ADHD, 77.9 percent have at least one co-occurring disorder, 53.6 percent have received ADHD medication, and 44.4 percent have received behavioral treatment for ADHD in the past year. Of children with a current ADHD diagnosis, nearly one third (30.1 percent) have not received any ADHD-specific treatment.

“Pediatric ADHD remains an ongoing and expanding public health concern, as approximately 1 million more children had ever received an ADHD diagnosis in 2022 than in 2016,” the authors write.

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