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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)  is a neurological disorder characterized by a pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that disrupts functioning in both children and adults

Facts and Statistics

• ADHD is a condition characterized by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity

• It is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood

• It is usually diagnosed in childhood and last into adulthood

• People diagnosed with ADHD may have difficulty paying attention and or controlling impulsive behavior

• 70% of people with ADHD in childhood will continue to have it in adolescence

• 50% will continue into adulthood

• ADHD is not caused by watching too much, parenting or having too much sugar

• ADHD may be caused by genetics, brain injury or low birth weights

• Is a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the brain regulation in executive functioning skills

Prevalence

UNITED STATES

Children & Adolescents

The 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) interviewed parents and reports the following ADHD prevalence data among children ages 2–17 (Danielson et al. 2018):

• 6.1 million children (9.4 percent) have ever been diagnosed with ADHD. This includes:
  • About 388,000 young children ages 2-5 (or 2.4 percent in this age group)
  • 2.4 million school-age children ages 6-11 (or 9.6 percent in this age group)
  • 3.3 million adolescents ages 12-17 (or 13.6 percent in this age group)

• 5.4 million children (8.4 percent) have a current diagnosis of ADHD. This includes:
  • About 335,000 young children ages 2-5 (or 2.1 percent in this age group)
  • 2.2 million school-age children ages 6-11 (or 8.9 percent in this age group)
  • 2.9 million adolescents ages 12-17 (or 11.9 percent in this age group)

• Treatment used by children ages 2-7 with a current diagnosis of ADHD:
  • Two out three were taking medication (62 percent).
  • Less than half received behavioral treatment in the past year (46.7 percent).
  • Nearly one out of three received a combination of medication and behavioral treatment in the past year (31.7 percent).
  • Nearly one out of four had not received any treatment (23 percent).

• Severity of ADHD among children ages 2-17:
  • 14.5 percent had severe ADHD
  • 43.7 percent had moderate ADHD
  • 41.8 percent had mild ADHD

• Co-occuring conditions (children ages 2-17):
  • Two out of three children (63.8 percent) had at least one co-occuring condition.
  • Half of all children (51.5 percent) had behavioral or conduct problems.
  • One out of three children (32.7 percent) had anxiety problems.
  • One out of six children (16.8 percent) had depression.
  • About one out of seven children (13.7 percent) had autism spectrum disorder.
  • About one out of 80 children (1.2 percent) had Tourette syndrome.
  • One in a hundred adolescents (1 percent) had a substance abuse disorder.

• By race or ethnicity (children ages 2-17):
  • 8.4 percent White
  • 10.7 percent Black
  • 6.6 percent Other
  • 6.0 percent Hispanic/Latino
  • 9.1 percent Non-Hispanic/Latino

Adults with ADHD

• 4.4 percent of the adult US population has ADHD, but less than 20 percent of these individuals seek help for it.
• 41.3% of adult ADHD cases are considered severe.
• During their lifetimes, 12.9 percent of men will be diagnosed with ADHD, compared to 4.9 percent of women.
• About 30 to 60 percent of patients diagnosed with ADHD in childhood continue to be affected into adulthood.
• Adults with ADHD are 5 times more likely to speed
• Adults with ADHD are nearly 50 percent more likely to be in a serious car crash.
• Having ADHD makes you 3 times more likely to be dead by the age of 45
• Anxiety disorders occur in 50 percent of adults with ADHD.

Reference

Additude Magazine

CHADD- National Resource Center on ADHD