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Overmedicating Kids?
Aired September 26, 2002 - 13:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Debating drugs: Do you think your child is overmedicated? Well, millions of kids are treated for behavioral disorders such as ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And now, there is growing concern that the youngsters are being overmedicated. That's an issue on Capitol Hill today.
CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now from New York to talk more about the issues surrounding ADHD.
Boy, that is a long word.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- I've had to say that so many times today already. I think I'm developing it
PHILLIPS: When we were kids, it was just hyper. We were just hyper. What's going on?
GUPTA: The term has taken a lot of different transitions over the years. ADHD, as it is known now, has been around for quite some time, but you're absolutely, Kyra, it actually was ADHD and then it became ADD for a while, attention deficit disorder. What the psychiatrists, psychologists classify it now as, ADHD, and then it has three subtype, a subtype of primarily inattentiveness, a subtype of primarily hyperactivity, and then a combined type, where someone is both inattentive and hyperactive.
At issue today, Kyra, what you're talking about is absolutely right, on Capitol Hill, talking about the fact, possibly overmedicating kids, school-aged children, for ADHD. Just to give you some of the numbers, there is about two million or so children that carry the diagnosis of ADHD, and about four to six million or so that receive some sort of medication. You can see the numbers don't quite add up there. That, incidentally, is a 500 percent increase over the last decade or so.
Is it overmedication or is it underdiagnosis. That is a very tough question to answer, because the diagnosis is so difficult -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And you don't have to use drugs, right?
GUPTA: You don't necessarily have to use drugs, there are people that specifically study not only medications, which are very effective if the diagnosis is correct, by the way, 70 to 80 percent effective. There is also behavioral therapy. There is also some a little bit more controversial things, such as biofeedback. The problem, Kyra, is really more than diagnosis more than anything else. That's what I've take away from all my conversations today with experts.
If you look at some of the criteria, for example, for specifically, the inattentive part of the ADHD, you'll see that part of the criteria include just difficulty following instructions, easily distracted, not paying attention to details, loses things needed for activities.
Kyra, does that sound like anybody you know? Sounds like a lot of people I know. Then there's the hyperactivity part of it as well. Fidgety, talking too much, trouble waiting their turn, unable to sit still. You can read the list. It sounds like a lot of people from the newsroom, Kyra, and that's part of the confusion. Usually those symptoms have to be there for six months or longer to make the diagnosis.
PHILLIPS: There you go, and as a parent, just like my mom did, get us involved in everything and anything.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 26, 2002 - 13:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Debating drugs: Do you think your child is overmedicated? Well, millions of kids are treated for behavioral disorders such as ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And now, there is growing concern that the youngsters are being overmedicated. That's an issue on Capitol Hill today.
CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now from New York to talk more about the issues surrounding ADHD.
Boy, that is a long word.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- I've had to say that so many times today already. I think I'm developing it
PHILLIPS: When we were kids, it was just hyper. We were just hyper. What's going on?
GUPTA: The term has taken a lot of different transitions over the years. ADHD, as it is known now, has been around for quite some time, but you're absolutely, Kyra, it actually was ADHD and then it became ADD for a while, attention deficit disorder. What the psychiatrists, psychologists classify it now as, ADHD, and then it has three subtype, a subtype of primarily inattentiveness, a subtype of primarily hyperactivity, and then a combined type, where someone is both inattentive and hyperactive.
At issue today, Kyra, what you're talking about is absolutely right, on Capitol Hill, talking about the fact, possibly overmedicating kids, school-aged children, for ADHD. Just to give you some of the numbers, there is about two million or so children that carry the diagnosis of ADHD, and about four to six million or so that receive some sort of medication. You can see the numbers don't quite add up there. That, incidentally, is a 500 percent increase over the last decade or so.
Is it overmedication or is it underdiagnosis. That is a very tough question to answer, because the diagnosis is so difficult -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And you don't have to use drugs, right?
GUPTA: You don't necessarily have to use drugs, there are people that specifically study not only medications, which are very effective if the diagnosis is correct, by the way, 70 to 80 percent effective. There is also behavioral therapy. There is also some a little bit more controversial things, such as biofeedback. The problem, Kyra, is really more than diagnosis more than anything else. That's what I've take away from all my conversations today with experts.
If you look at some of the criteria, for example, for specifically, the inattentive part of the ADHD, you'll see that part of the criteria include just difficulty following instructions, easily distracted, not paying attention to details, loses things needed for activities.
Kyra, does that sound like anybody you know? Sounds like a lot of people I know. Then there's the hyperactivity part of it as well. Fidgety, talking too much, trouble waiting their turn, unable to sit still. You can read the list. It sounds like a lot of people from the newsroom, Kyra, and that's part of the confusion. Usually those symptoms have to be there for six months or longer to make the diagnosis.
PHILLIPS: There you go, and as a parent, just like my mom did, get us involved in everything and anything.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
