Report Highlights Problems with ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment

A new report claims that ambiguous ADHD symptoms can make diagnosis and treatment challenging.

Despite industry-wide guidelines for doctors and psychologists, significant variations still exist in the way professionals diagnosis and treat children with attention deficit disorder (ADHD), according to a new study. The study, published in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, explores the controversies associated with diagnosing ADHD and using medication to treat attention deficit symptoms.

Because a child’s level of impairment depends on a variety of circumstances -- including parenting skills, the school environment, and cultural differences -- there is a “zone of ambiguity” that leaves a great deal up for interpretation by the medical professional doing the diagnosis. The study contends that this ambiguity and varying interpretation makes it difficult to judge whether ADHD treatment is truly effective and necessary across the population of children diagnosed with attention deficit.

Read more about the study.