Immaturity can be assessed as ADHD – Swedish Radio

This is most evident among boys, where a child has 39 percent more likely to have an ADHD diagnosis if he was born in December compared with January.

– The raises the some issues, says Peter Salmi, investigators in psychiatry at the National Board. One obvious question is whether it is the wrong people are diagnosed. If we medicate rather immaturity, that it becomes a kind of medicalization of immaturity. But it may also be that there are people who have a mild case of ADHD, which in combination with immaturity becomes more visible, says Peter Salmi.

The likelihood of a child that is born during the last three months to get an ADHD diagnosis is thirty percent higher than a child born early in the year.

The same applies to the collection of ADHD medications. Similar relationships have emerged in other measurements, including a study from Karolinska Institutet published in the Journal of Child psycology and Psychiatry last year.

One explanation is believed lie in a relative immaturity in some children, in some cases assessed as ADHD. This suggests that there is an over-diagnosis. National Board notes that in some parts of the country are more children who receive an ADHD diagnosis than is the estimated prevalence in the population.

– It’s all about getting the right people get the right diagnosis and treated at right time, says Peter Salmi. If it’s about overdiagnosis so suggests the the people who might not have a diagnosis yet it may, and often drug treated.

The National Board closely monitors development of diagnosis and prescription of medicines which looks set to continue to increase. The knowledge of what the long term effects are of ADHD drugs are not yet.

– Now, these preparations existed for quite some time. But it’s true that good conducted long-term studies is lacking in this, says Peter Salmi.

But you know that children with ADHD who do not receive help, runs great risks that do not get along in school and receive psychosocial problems later in life.

Sebastian Cold is ten years old and has ADHD. He has recently been a resource person who makes him able and willing to go to school.

– There is a helper named Peter, says Sebastian Cold.

What makes it the difference to have Peter next to him?

– It’s not as hard anymore.

Is it fun to go to school?

– Lite, Sebastian says Kalla.

Sarah Heyman, echo
sara.heyman@sverigesradio.se