French children with ADHD would be much less numerous than indicated by previous work.
- Only 0.3% of French children suffer from attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD).
- The prevalence of hyperactivity/ADHD is the subject of intense debate internationally.
Only 0.3% of French children suffer from attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADHD), according to a new study based on Social Security data. A figure very far from that of the United States, where 9% of children would be victims of this health problem, described by some specialists as a real “epidemic”.
“Intense debates at the international level”
“Despite decades of research, there is currently no biological marker or test to identify or confirm the diagnosis of hyperactivity. The prevalence of hyperactivity/ADHD is therefore the subject of intense debate at the international level, written in the preamble Sébastien Ponnou, author of the study, psychoanalyst and lecturer at the University of Rouen-Normandy. In France, the only available study points to a prevalence rate of ADHD of 3.5 to 5.6% of children aged 6 to 12 years. The authors also estimate that 3.48% of 6–12 year olds are treated with a psychostimulant. Our article is based on data from Health Insurance to discuss these results”. continues the specialist.
It is possible to carry out a rigorous study of the diagnostic rate and the level of prescription of methylphenidate (better known under the trade name of ritalin) in France by analyzing health insurance data. “In this perspective, we used the information extracted from the database of the National Inter-regime Health Insurance Information System (SNIIRAM) presented in 2017 in an ANSM report”, explains Sébastien Ponnou.
“This result raises questions”
Results: Health insurance data allow us to establish an estimate of the prevalence of ADHD of 0.3% in France. “This result questions the reasons for the low rate of ADHD medication in France compared to other Western countries”. concludes Sébastien Ponnou.
Faced with a catch-all disease, the HAS (High Authority for Health) has defined ADHD. “It is often reduced to the expression hyperactivity implying that they are only restless or turbulent children. On the contrary, it is a disorder that combines three symptoms whose intensity and manifestations vary according to the person: attention deficit, motor hyperactivity and impulsivity”. specifies the institution.
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