Surprising Science — April 6, 2010

Concentration Nation

About 4.4% of American adults are believed to have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and more and more of them are being diagnosed and treated with medication.

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“Restlessness, impatience, impulsivity, procrastination, chronic lateness, and difficulty getting organized, focusing and finishing tasks.” About 4.4% of American adults are believed to have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and more and more of them are being diagnosed and treated with medication. Melinda Beck looks at why this is happening now and what separates diagnosable ADHD from the normal day-to-day existence of an overworked, overcaffeinated American adult.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Collage of a young person's face with abstract red scribbles and geometric shapes symbolizing ADHD.

Neuropsych

ADHD: The history of a diagnosis

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been a controversial diagnosis since it was first described, back in the 1940s.

Neuropsych

ADHD: Medication alone doesn’t improve classroom learning for children

There is no long-term beneficial effect of medication on standardized test scores.

Smart Skills

Life hacks to help ADHD or those who struggle with focus and attention

Easily distracted? Try a “distractibility delay.”

Surprising Science

ADHD Is Dead

Do psychological diseases have a shelf life? “The idea of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as a credible diagnostic term has passed and it is time that we accept that and move on.”

Surprising Science

Mouse ADHD Clue

A new study using mice has revealed that the root of psychiatric disorder attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might be found in an overactive protein.

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