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US Congress Told of ADHD Overdiagnosis in Schools US Federal laws designed to identify and treat learning disabled children are serving as a powerful incentive for public schools to over-diagnose and medicate children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a panel has told an education subcommittee of Congress. Diagnosis of the disorder has jumped nearly 5-fold recently. Currently over 5 million children are diagnosed with the disorder. Some have attributed the rise to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which steers money to school districts so that they can treat disabled children, since it can give schools an incentive to label children with ADHD. Others on the panel argued that a lack of mental health professionals in public schools, not IDEA, was to blame for the push to identify children with ADHD in schools. They said that overcrowded classrooms and a paucity of training among teachers in dealing with behavior problems force the teachers to push for the calming effect of Ritalin and other drugs for hyperactive students. Often the subject of the hearings shifted to a debate about whether ADHD is a true mental disorder, or whether the illness is simply an excuse for psychiatrists and drug companies to label unusual or rambunctious children to create a market for health services and medications. DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT: Although there may be some over-diagnosis, due to factors stated above, as well as the very broad definition of the disorder, which has recently prompted legal action, I believe that ADHD has truly increased. Although there is a powerful incentive to increase the number of children with this diagnosis from the drug companies, other factors have contributed to this increase. The increase in vaccinations, mercury exposure, processed foods, pesticide use, television watching, sugar intake, environmental pollution, fluoridated water, divorce rates and other emotional instability problems at home, increase rates of birth interventions, resulting in birth trauma and lack of oxygen for newborns. Many parents with children with ADD/ADHD try the Feingold Diet and some have good results with it. Although it is a step in the right direction and eliminates many suboptimal foods, it would be dramatically more effective if it incorporated restriction of sugars and grains and the avoidance of milk and dairy products. From Dr. Mercola's newsletter:http://mercola.com