More than 10,000 American toddlers are being given drugs for ADHD despite pediatric guidelines stating that it shouldn’t be administered to children aged younger than four years old.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report found that children aged 2 and 3 – particularly those covered by Medicaid - were especially prone to being prescribed medication such as Ritalin and Adderall.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' ADHD guidelines don’t make reference to diagnosis in children under four, because experts believe hyperactive and impulsive behavior are appropriate for toddlers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that more more than 10,000 children under four years of age are being given ADHD drugs each year
It is widely considered within the medical profession that ADHD symptoms – such as issues with paying attention - begin after age six and should be present for more than six months for a diagnosis to be made.
The CDC states in the report that it has serious concerns about the safety and effectiveness of ADHD drugs being used on children at such a young age.
‘It’s absolutely shocking, and it shouldn’t be happening,’ Anita Zervigon-Hakes, a children’s mental health consultant told the New York Times. ‘We obviously don’t have our act together for little children.’
The report, which was presented on Friday at the Georgia Mental Health Forum in Atlanta, was based on Medicaid claims in Georgia and claims by privately insured families nationwide kept by research firm MarketScan.
Drugs like Ritalin and Adderall can help calm hyperactivity, but carry risks for growth suppression, insomnia and hallucinations
With no nationwide Medicaid data currently available, Dr. Susanna Visser said Georgia’s rates of the disorder are very typical of the United States as a whole.
'If we applied Georgia’s rate to the number of toddlers on Medicaid nationwide, we would expect at least 10,000 of those to be on ADHD medication,' she said.
Drug-free alternatives, such as teaching parents and day care workers to provide more structured environments for children, are being ignored, she warned.
'Families of toddlers with behavioral problems are coming to the doctor’s office for help, and the help they’re getting too often is a prescription for a Class II controlled substance, which has not been established as safe for that young of a child,' said Visser.
'It puts these children and their developing minds at risk, and their health is at risk.'
Visser didn't have an explanation for why toddlers covered by Medicaid are being medicated for the disorder far more often than those covered by private insurance.
Drugs like Ritalin and Adderall can help calm hyperactivity, but carry risks for growth suppression, insomnia and hallucinations.
A nationwide CDC survey last year found that 11 percent of children ages 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD and that about one in five boys are diagnosed during childhood.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2632083/More-10-000-toddlers-Medicaid-given-ADHD-drugs-despite-guidelines-shouldnt-administered-children-four.html#ixzz326tj8D7x
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