She cites data in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry showing that more than half of the children in some North Carolina communities who were receiving medication for ADHD did not have the disorder. But the same study, Satel writes, also found that one quarter of children who did meet the diagnostic criteria were not being treated. In the view of Satel and other psychiatrists, the trouble arises when pediatricians or general practitioners prescribe stimulants or other medications without performing a thorough diagnosis. In order to diagnose ADHD correctly, the psychiatrist should have several meetings with the child and his parents. Behaviors like inattention, impulsiveness and lack of focus, Satel explains, must be seen over a long period of time and not just in response to a stressful time in the child's life such as the birth of a sibling, a divorce or a move.
Skeptics ask why ADHD appeared so suddenly.
The answer is that it isn't new. Doctors have been aware of the disorder for decades and have successfully treated it with stimulants since the 1950s. But until recently, most of the children who had the disorder went untreated. And while it is widely known that too many parents are having their children labeled and medicated erroneously, the reverse phenomenon is also a problem and is arguably more serious. The anti-Ritalin backlash has discouraged many parents from seeking an evaluation of children who are clearly hurting.