Who is most likely to be diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ADHD is the most frequently diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood and is very common in the school-age population. Even using the DSM-IV-TR criteria that specify that some impairment is necessary to give the diagnosis, it is estimated that 3% to 5% of school-age children meet the criteria for this diagnosis. In both adolescents and children, the disorder is more common in boys than in girls; the ratio is about 4 boys to 1 girl in the general population, and 9 boys to 1girl in clinical studies. The difference between the figures for the general population and the figure for clinical cases suggests a bias in referral--girls with the disorder are less likely to be referred for treatment than are boys. Another sex difference is the change in the number of individuals who meet the diagnosis at different ages. The rate for girls decreases only slightly from age 10 to age 20; whereas the rate for boys exhibits a sharp drop over that period.