It is highly profitable for their supporters.

Now, I'm going to lay these thoughts out in no specific order:


1) Psychologists (in my state at least) cannot write prescriptions for medications. When a child is sent to a psychiatrist to get these medications, most times, the referring psychologist loses that patient for good. Other children will just go to a psychiatrist and bypass the psychologist altoghether... So, a psychiatrist posting this article could lead to a financial/ethical conflict in interest for them.


2) There is the Big PhRMA push with doctors to prescribe these meds, some with spiffs and perks which should be made a form of kickback, but if the doctors truly follow MMPI-2 standards, then that would show they are deceptive. It's big money and these drugs cost pennies to make and are sold for dollars each.


3) Schools and teachers are becoming less tolerant in handling inattentive students, as the time to redirect a child takes away the time for the other students. With standardized testing and core curriculums being stressed, there is not much leeway in the day for several inattentive children to be in a class.


4) Some kids do need it, and there might be an environmental component to this need, just like there is an increase in cancers this year over last and a 10% increase in the prior decade. Also, high-tech devices lead to short attention spans, overstressed parents from working multiple jobs, or even a genetic component if certain DNAs get together or develop over generations.


5) It could be all the satellite, ground repeater and other forms of microwaves and EMFs brought on from advances, or even from the formaldehyde in many building materials and other caustic chemicals in the homes. Certain ingredients in hand soaps, scented sprays and cleaners cause mental and physical issues.


6) There's a group of kids in school who sign up for it as a means to do well in their competitive high school, and on into college. They may not have ADHD, but they need the extra focusing abilities these drugs provide and can be taken on demand, without having to build up a one or two week foundation. So the average kid, who is just doing his thing in school is placed at a disadvantage to the other drug-taking students and then want to subscribe to stay competitive, and not fall behind.


I'm sure I have more ramblings... but this will do for now.

with more ADHD reported as you go from west to east in the US.

That's probably a red herring. In part.

A better trend is that males from low income families are more often diagnosed. Boys are something like 75% of all ADHD diagnoses. For all the ranting about more prosperous families seeking an edge (this assuredly happens) it's still the case that overall low SES kids get drugged into compliance more often. (This makes sense, considering behavioral norms and child rearing.)

Another trend is that ADHD is more a white than a non-white thing--almost certainly because of disparities in health care, but also because of varying cultural norms. In some schools where teachers/administrators can recommend kids for screening this trend is sharply reversed.

To the extent that race and class has geography in the US, the geographical trends tend to be emergent.

One trend that isn't clearly emergent is the knock-on effect. Little Johnny goes on speed, Little Jonny's mother or father sees how much more manageable Little Jonny is and gets speed prescribed for her formerly irrepressible bundle of joy. And this really kicks in when the sexes start having their inhibition centers mature at different rates, so Little Jonny is always a bit behind Little Janey.

All my kids on ADHD meds have their core classes in the morning. By afternoon, the kids are zonked. They're useless for school by then as the meds wear off and leave them groggy. If they can get phys ed scheduled then, great. If they failed a class and can't get all their core classes scheduled for when they're artificially focused and alert it's not so good.

As for inattentive students ... Yeah. Less time to deal with them. And when you have class sizes over 30, it's harder. You tend to have at least one more, there's less time to repress them and more of them; they play off each other; and it's harder to position them at opposite corners of the classroom (you get 6, and they're always within or nearly within interaction distance ... oy!).