ADHD Diagnosis

A new German study has suggested professional could be misdiagnosing three out of four attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) cases. 

Diagnosis can be unscientific, by chance and even subjective, as therapists use intuition and hunches, rather than proper scientific tests and significant differences were found to occur between diagnosing girls and boys. 

Some psychotherapists and psychiatrists are routinely diagnosing ADHD without scientific testing, with the number of diagnosed cases rising fourfold since 2002 and with pharmaceutical prescriptions rising at a corresponding rate. 

Reference: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2012; 80: 128-38.