---
title: "Psych News Alert: ADHD Diagnoses Show Sharp Upward Trend, CDC Reports"
description: The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there has been a 42% increase in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disor...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ADHD%20boy%20is%20frustrated_84886648-Jun-24-2025-09-44-49-1581-PM.jpg
---

 12/10/13 12:00 AM

# ADHD Diagnoses Show Sharp Upward Trend, CDC Reports

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/12/adhd-diagnoses-show-sharp-upward-trend.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/12/adhd-diagnoses-show-sharp-upward-trend.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/12/adhd-diagnoses-show-sharp-upward-trend.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/12/adhd-diagnoses-show-sharp-upward-trend.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/12/adhd-diagnoses-show-sharp-upward-trend.html)

| [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ADHD%20boy%20is%20frustrated_84886648-4.jpg?width=133&name=ADHD%20boy%20is%20frustrated_84886648-4.jpg)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ADHD%20boy%20is%20frustrated_84886648-4.jpg) |  |
| --- | --- |

The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there has been a 42% increase in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses in children aged 4 to 17 from 2003 to 2011. Data were published in the *Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry*. The [study](http://jaacap.org/webfiles/images/journals/jaac/visser.pdf) included 2011 data from a randomized, cross-sectional national survey of more than 95,000 U.S. households known as the National Survey of Children's Health. Information was gathered on the prevalence of parent-reported ADHD diagnoses, current ADHD diagnosis, and current medication prescriptions to treat the condition. Information was compared with data from previous surveys conducted in 2003 and 2007.

The results showed by 2011, 11% of children—or 6.4 million children nationwide—had received a diagnosis of ADHD. Among those with a diagnosis for ADHD, approximately 70% were currently taking medication for the disorder—increasing by 28% from 2007 to 2011. Nearly 1 in 5 high school boys was diagnosed with ADHD, compared with 1 in 11 high school girls. ADHD-diagnosis frequency was most prevalent in Kentucky, at 15 percent, and least prevalent in Nevada, at 4.2 percent.

“The number of U.S. households impacted by childhood diagnoses of ADHD is growing. Early treatment can be a tremendous help to children whose behavior, performance, and relationships are being negatively impacted by ADHD,” said Susanna Visser, M.S., a CDC epidemiologist and lead author of the study. The authors speculate that “better detection of underlying ADHD, due to increased health education and awareness efforts,” may be the reason for the increase of ADHD diagnoses among American children.

To read more about the prevalence and treatment of ADHD, see the *Psychiatric News* article ["ADHD Outcome Data in Adults Show Value of Early Treatment."](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=1484670)

(Image: Suzanne Tucker/Shutterstock.com)

[ADHD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adhd), [CDC](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cdc), [stimulant drugs](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/stimulant-drugs)

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/stomach-iStock-1139922856-Jun-24-2025-06-35-24-4438-PM.jpg?height=200&name=stomach-iStock-1139922856-Jun-24-2025-06-35-24-4438-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/02/gastrointestinal-symptoms-common-in.html)

[MDD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mdd), [depression](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/depression), [insomnia](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/insomnia), [suicidal ideation](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicidal-ideation), [Journal of Affective Disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/journal-of-affective-disorders)

## [Gastrointestinal Symptoms Common in Major Depressive Disorder, Study Shows](https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/02/gastrointestinal-symptoms-common-in.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 2/19/21 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/02/gastrointestinal-symptoms-common-in.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/DrugRsrch_12296221-Jun-24-2025-04-15-02-9039-PM.jpg?height=200&name=DrugRsrch_12296221-Jun-24-2025-04-15-02-9039-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/06/nimh-shifts-research-focus-from-large.html)

[psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatry), [mental health](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-health), [drug development](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/drug-development), [NIMH](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/nimh), [biomedical research](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/biomedical-research)

## [NIMH Shifts Research Focus From Large Clinical Trials](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/06/nimh-shifts-research-focus-from-large.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 6/13/12 12:00 AM

Most of the medications used to treat mental illness were discovered by chance, and research into...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/06/nimh-shifts-research-focus-from-large.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/sunshine_145918109-Jun-24-2025-03-53-48-4710-PM.jpg?height=200&name=sunshine_145918109-Jun-24-2025-03-53-48-4710-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/08/new-deadline-set-to-dispute-act-data.html)

## [New Deadline Set to Dispute 'Sunshine Act' Data After Database Shut Down Again](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/08/new-deadline-set-to-dispute-act-data.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 8/29/14 12:00 AM

The PN Alert released this morning failed to note the new deadline for reviewing and disputing data...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/08/new-deadline-set-to-dispute-act-data.html)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert",
    "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T21:50:06.182Z",
  "datePublished" : "2013-12-10T05:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Psych News Alert: ADHD Diagnoses Show Sharp Upward Trend, CDC Reports",
  "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ADHD%20boy%20is%20frustrated_84886648-Jun-24-2025-09-44-49-1581-PM.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2013/12/adhd-diagnoses-show-sharp-upward-trend.html",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg"
    }
  }
}
```