Take Two #79: What is ADHD?  By Kyra-lin Hom  I recently peer
reviewed a classmate's statistics paper on ADHD. Her son had
been exhibiting hyperactive traits. So she decided to look at
the rates of ADHD diagnosis in children and the various
treatments proscribed in the US. To put things simply, no matter
what demographic you look at, ADHD and the prescription of
stimulants to treat the disorder are staggeringly on the rise.
I'm using the term 'staggeringly' to mean 'in a really, really
hard to believe way.'  That's not my opinion, though I agree
with it. The belief that ADHD is being over-diagnosed and
stimulants over-proscribed is the professional opinion of
several child psychologists, including Dr. Ned Hallowell. He
previously pushed for prescription stimulants saying they were
“safer than aspirin.” Nowadays he's telling a different story
and says that he, “regrets the analogy.”  Here are some numbers
to chew over. According to the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 11% of all US school-ag