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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Nearly half of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not getting medication they could benefit from, according to a team of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
"What we found was somewhat surprising," reports Richard D. Todd, M.D., Ph.D. "Only about 58 percent of boys and 45 percent of girls who had a diagnosis of full-scale ADHD got any medication at all."
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Reasons behind this could be these children aren't being identified at their schools or doctors' offices, or their parents have opted not to put them on stimulants, according to study authors.
The authors report, "It may be that mental health professionals need to do a better job of explaining the risks and benefits of treatment. The vast majority of parents whose children were involved in this study reported that their kids improved with medication, and when used properly these drugs have been shown to be very safe."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2006;45:801-807
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