Undertreatment of AD/HD Among African Americans

African Americans with AD/HD are often undertreated due to a lack of access to comprehensive assessment and the right treatment options.

Concerned about the dearth of treatment for AD/HD among African Americans-and misperceptions in that community about the condition-a group of experts voiced their worries to the Congressional Black Caucus. "Claims that AD/HD is not a real disorder or that it is caused by too much sugar or bad parenting are completely false," said Marilyn Benoit, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. "Scientific studies demonstrate that the real problem is the undertreatment of AD/HD among African-American children and teens."

Dr. Benoit joined several other experts, including former U.S. surgeon general David Satcher, at a Capitol Hill forum sponsored by members of the Congressional Black Caucus and hosted by Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD).

"AD/HD is a real disorder that impacts all of us, regardless of race or ethnicity," said Evelyn Green, past president of CHADD, and an African-American parent of a son with AD/HD. The issue for African-American children is lack of access to comprehensive assessment and the right treatment options. Green encouraged people to "seek science-based information to make sound decisions on behalf of all children with AD/HD."