Keith Conners can be considered the father of ADHD. He did the early studies, helped work out the definition, developed the most widely used diagnostic tools, and did research that led to treatment guidelines. He knows as much about ADHD as anyone on the planet.
In a recent New York Times article, Keith was interviewed about his deep misgivings that ADHD is now being wildly over-diagnosed and inappropriately treated with excessive medication.
This false epidemic of ADHD was triggered by three events that occurred almost simultaneously about 15 years ago:
Drug companies used their political muscle to gain the unprecedented right to advertize directly to consumers -- and then used misleading marketing to convince parents and teachers that ADHD was everywhere
They brought to market new and expensive drugs for ADHD
A multi-center NIMH study gave the impression that drugs were much more effective than therapy and drugs for ADHD (a finding that didn't hold up on follow up).
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allen-frances/how-parents-can-protect-k_b_4767047.html
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