Main Category: ADHD
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 16 Nov 2011 - 18:00 PST
Current Article Ratings:
| Patient / Public: |  | 4.75 (4 votes) |
| Healthcare Prof: |  | 3.67 (3 votes) |
| Article Opinions: | �1 posts |
ADHD is usually thought of as a predominantly male problem, but a new report from Medco Health Solutions shows the number of women taking medication for ADHD is rising rapidly.
Researchers studied trends in the use of mental health medications among about 2.5 million insured Americans and found that the number of women aged 20 to 44 on ADHD medicines shot up 250% from 2001 to 2010. In general, amongst women aged 20 to 44 around one in 50 took medicine to control ADHD. One factor that might play a role is the approval for use of all five medicines since 2001.
Dr. Lenard Adler, director of the Psychiatry and Neurology Adult ADHD Program at the New York University School of Medicine, says that many of the women might have been outside of regular statistics until they became adults. The problem doesn't usually crop up later in life, its generally thought of as a childhood / teenage problem.
Adler was not involved with preparing the Medco report, but also cautioned that boys' psychologically will generally show the hyperactivity commonly associated with ADHD, thus males get treated younger as they are more of a problem to manage in school. The attention deficit part of ADHD might not be noticed in more passive individuals until later in life. Adults these days having a lot to keep track of, may not necessarily be diagnosed or need treatment until they are a little older than the classic schoolboys with ADHD.
Russell Barkley, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina, who has long studied ADHD in adults, explains another issue is that when a child is diagnosed with ADHD, the likelihood of the parents having also it can be as high as forty percent. Since it is often the mother taking the child to the doctor and women are more likely to seek medical help for themselves, suddenly recognizing the problem their child has in themselves, they begin taking the medicine they needed all along.
A woman with ADHD as a girl in school may simply appear unmotivated or lazy, but later in life, moving into the real world, struggles to cope with holding down a job, remaining organized, paying bills, etc., and Adler says he is glad there are more women seeking treatment. However, he cautions that estimates suggest around 4.5% of people suffer from the problem and with only 2 percent or 1 in 50 seeking help, there is still a large swath of the population that is going untreated.
Written by Rupert Shepherd
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
MLA
Rupert Shepherd B.Sc. "Women Need ADHD Meds As Well ...." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 16 Nov. 2011. Web.
18 Nov. 2011. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237796.php>
APA
Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.
| Rate this article: (Hover over the stars then click to rate) | Patient / Public: | or | Health Professional: |
Of course the use by women is increasing! It's the hottest drug since phen fen! women everywhere are touting it's weight loss benefits along with the razor sharp ability to focus. The majority of women in upper middle class are trying to get diagnosed with add, just to get a rx, the rest are trying to get the rx through pain clinics or buy them from friends who were lucky enough to get a rx.
Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.
If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.
All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)
Contact Our News Editors
For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.
Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:
Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237796.php
indian women health women and health care pregnant women health womens health vitamins
No comments:
Post a Comment