Why does it seem like so many kids today are being labeled ADHD or hyperactive? While my friends tell me that ADHD is a conspiracy by the drug companies to sell more drugs, others tell me that ADHD is just a label given to kids that are “brats.” Is this so? What's the real information on ADHD?

Well, the truth is that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity affects between five to ten percent (5% - 10%) of all children in the United States, and three to six percent (3% - 6%) of adults. About 35% of all children referred to mental health clinics are referred for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, making it one of the most prevalent of all childhood psychiatric disorders.

The 5% number is a solid, conservative number supported by a lot of research. Even at 5% each classroom in America will have one or two (2) ADHD kids in the class. So it is a very significant problem across America.

When only Parent Rating Scales are used in a research project, the numbers will range from a low of seven percent (7%) of school-aged children to a high of twenty-three percent (23%) of children.

From the National Institute of Mental Health.

The severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in youth appears to be reflected in their brain structure, recent NIMH-supported brain imaging studies are finding. In one study, researchers found that the front part of the brain's memory hub, the hippocampus, tended to be enlarged in ADHD, particularly in children with fewer symptoms. They suggest that such changes might develop as a compensatory response that helps the child cope with the impatience and stimulus-seeking problems of the disorder.

The researchers also found that parts of an emotion-processing hub, the amygdala, were smaller in children with the disorder. The diminished size had a significant and positive correlation with severity of ADHD symptoms. In those with the disorder, researchers also observed poor connections between the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex, which could contribute to problems with impulse control and goal-directed behaviors.

Drs. Kerstin Plessen and Bradley Peterson (Columbia University; New York State Psychiatric Institute; University of Bergen, Norway; and Pennsylvania State University) and colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan 51 children and adolescents with ADHD and 63 healthy peers in the study, reported in the July 3, 2006, issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Last summer Shire Pharmaceuticals came out with their new version of methylphenidate, called DAYTRANA. It is the first and only transdermal medication approved to treat the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

DAYTRANA is methylphenidate (generic name for Ritalin) in a patch, which makes it a very convenient delivery system (one a day dosing).

The response from parents has been mixed.

Parents, and patients, like the convenience of a patch. And they also like the fact that children don’t have to swallow a pill. However, the patch can cause side-effects. Skin rashes, sleeplessness, stomach aches and motion sickness are commonly cited. Some parents also complain that they have to fight with their kids to put the patches on, and it leaves a “goo” after taken off.