ADHD: Looking Past the Pill

About 20 years ago, doctors were struggling to get the medical community to recognize attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a legitimate syndrome that needed a drug treatment. Today, ADHD is widely diagnosed. A recent New York Times article highlighted the pronounced growth in diagnoses of the condition over the years, which rose from 600,000 children in 1990 to 3.5 million today. Treatment typically involves pharmaceuticals. While many doctors have portrayed ADHD medications as benign and safer than aspirin, these drugs have the potential for abuse and addiction, according to the story.