ADD is a disorder that is very challenging to diagnose because the symptoms can be varying in number and intensity can show a positive diagnosis. Even the official scale of DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders); created and updated by the American Medical Association; can be questioned for validity. In the past ten years there have been many studies done on the problems of over-diagnosis and over-prescription. Because it is found in 3%-5% of children over the age of seven it is believed that clinical psychologists are not being precise in there diagnosis. Ritalin is being prescribed to anyone who might have a few of the symptoms but not the number needed to meet the DSM-IV requirements.

If it is believed that a person might have the disorder, a self-checklist can be used to see if it is necessary to see a doctor. Although the checklist should not be used as the only source of diagnosis it can help. The doctor should have several meeting with the patient and should interview the parents and teachers of the child before prescribing medications.

Parents and teachers are often busy and do not want to

Cool, Lisa Collier "Could you get hooked on this Pill?" SELF June 2000 pp. 183-216

NIMH "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder"

comply and precisely fill out the long questionnaire that's that DSM-IV has standardized. In the September 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Jaacap) a group of doctors published the results of their study which stated that the ROC (receiver operating characteristics) questionnaire was more effective because of its length and its specificity. In this scale only 3 out of 8 criteria must be present where as in the DSM-IV 6 out of 9 symptoms must be present. Some of these symptoms include- fails to pay close attention to detail, fails to finish an assigned task, often easily distracted and often forgetful in daily activities. These criteria are very vague and can be misinterpreted which can also cause a misdiagnosis.

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Approximate Word count = 795
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)