From 1997 to 2016, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) diagnoses have almost doubled, from 6.1% to 10.2%, in children and adolescents age 4 to 17.1
In 2013, the 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was released. In this edition, the criteria for identifying ADHD symptoms was expanded and modified to make it easier for physicians to provide a better diagnosis. Instead we are seeing a larger percentage of children being misdiagnosed and ultimately suffer the consequences of taking unnecessary prescription medicine during the most important stage of their development.
