Christina Perasso 20'
(newspaper)
This source from the American Journal of Psychiatry by Damian Mcnamara describes
how the different ages of patients with ADHD play a role as to why ADHD stimulants are
continuing to rise. Differences in geographic location, insurance, and ethnicity also have
an impact on the usage of ADHD stimulants. For adolescents in the United States in 1996,
the use of stimulants including methylphenidate, pemoline, and dextroamphetamine grew
2.4 percent to 3.5 percent in 2008. Researchers even found that approximately 2.8 million
young individuals announced that they were taking at least one stimulant. Along with this,
the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey has found that children ranging from ages six to
twelve are taking the most stimulants. Even though the use of treating ADHD with
stimulants increased between racial and enthic minority groups, the rate stayed lower than
children who are not Hispanic, partly because parents who are colored or Hispanic are not
as likely to report that their child has the disorder in comparison to parents of white
children. The role insurance plays has shown that children who have private health
insurance have higher prescription rates than children without health insurance. Another
difference that researchers found is the Northeast has a higher usage rate compared with
the Western United States. Overall, the authors note that the majority of children with
ADHD are not actually being treated with stimulants.
Mcnamara’s article written in third person objective is important because it provides a detailed explanation as to why stimulants for ADHD are still continuing to rise. Although the article from the American Journal of Psychiatry is primarily factual from studies researchers have done, there is a slight bias in favor of treating ADHD with stimulants. This makes me think the intended audience are well-educated adults with a willingness to understand if stimulants may be the right treatment for their family. Since ADHD is such a wide-ranged disorder, some people tend to have milder forms and do not typically need medication, while others do. But, for those who have more severe forms of ADHD, stimulants can be very beneficial. This article connects back to the first three articles I analyzed, but Rita Giordano’s article specifically correlates because both articles focus on the rise of the utilization of ADHD medications. Thoroughly analyzing this article has aided my research project to move beyond ADHD patient ages and gender effects with stimulants, and to better understand the differences that ethnicity, insurance, and geography can have an impact on who utilizes stimulants. how the different ages of patients with ADHD play a role as to why ADHD stimulants are
continuing to rise. Differences in geographic location, insurance, and ethnicity also have
an impact on the usage of ADHD stimulants. For adolescents in the United States in 1996,
the use of stimulants including methylphenidate, pemoline, and dextroamphetamine grew
2.4 percent to 3.5 percent in 2008. Researchers even found that approximately 2.8 million
young individuals announced that they were taking at least one stimulant. Along with this,
the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey has found that children ranging from ages six to
twelve are taking the most stimulants. Even though the use of treating ADHD with
stimulants increased between racial and enthic minority groups, the rate stayed lower than
children who are not Hispanic, partly because parents who are colored or Hispanic are not
as likely to report that their child has the disorder in comparison to parents of white
children. The role insurance plays has shown that children who have private health
insurance have higher prescription rates than children without health insurance. Another
difference that researchers found is the Northeast has a higher usage rate compared with
the Western United States. Overall, the authors note that the majority of children with
ADHD are not actually being treated with stimulants.
Mcnamara, Damian. “Use of Stimulants for ADHD Still on Rise.” Clinical Psychiatry
News, vol. 39, no. 11, Nov. 2011, pp. 26+. Questia School, www.questiaschool.com/read/1G1-273280677/use-of-stimulants-for-adhd-still-on-rise. Accessed 21 Jan. 2020.