By Dr. John Cannell, Vitamin D Council

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a controversial developmental neuropsychiatric disorder in which there are significant problems with executive functions (e.g. attention control and lack of inhibition) that cause attention deficits, hyperactivity or impulsiveness. Its prevalence in children is between 1% and 8% depending on which diagnostic criteria are used.

Signs and symptoms of ADHD include but are not limited to difficulty focusing, inability to follow instructions, frequent fidgeting and excessive chatting.

ADHD was first identified to the 1920s and stimulants such as amphetamine were first used in the 1940s. One of the most dramatic and paradoxical clinical changes one can see in clinical psychiatry is the effect of speed (amphetamine, Ritalin, Adderall) on a child with ADHD. On the first visit the child is running around the office, into everything, cannot sit still etc., but after taking speed the child sits calm and still.

It appears as if the prevalence of ADHD is increasing over time. Some studies show 6% of our children are taking stimulants. Is this because schools are so boring that the children can’t pay attention, is it due to changes in diagnosis, or is the prevalence of ADHD really increasing?

For the first time, a group in Spain has shown that low vitamin D levels during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of subsequent ADHD in the child.

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