When ADHD first appeared in the DSM in 1987, 3 percent of U.S. children were thought to have the disorder. By 2000, the number increased to 7 percent. In 2014 that number jumped to an alarming 11 percent of children and 15 percent of high school students. Two-thirds of these children are on medication. In contrast, in countries like France, Finland, the UK and Japan, the number is a half of one percent, and far fewer children taking medication.
In the new book: A Disease Called Childhood: Why ADHD Became an American Epidemic, Dr. Marilyn Wedge brings together the latest developments in neuroscience and clinical research, a history of big pharma and psychiatry, and cultural studies of educational systems around the world.