Latest figures from the Scottish Medical Consortium show an 11 per cent increase in prescriptions for ADHDsymptoms in the past two years.
More than 45,000 children aged six to 14 in Scotland are diagnosed with ADHD. Of these, 9,350 are eligible for drug therapy. Most are prescribed methylphenidate, com- mercially known as Ritalin.
But Dr Gwynedd Lloyd from the University of Edinburgh said that doctors are too quick to diagnose ADHD and prescribe drugs. 'When you look at books on how to deal with children with ADHD, the content is the same as books on children with behavioural difficulties. There are many reasons why a child might have difficulties, such as family problems, diet and lack of exercise.'
Dr Lloyd, co-author of a review of ADHD research to be published later this month, said that evidence suggests that in the US, children as young as two are prescribed drugs. She warned that this trend could spread to the UK.
'We have to look at whether this label is helpful or if we just need a better way to support children and families,' she said.
Dr David Coghill, senior lecturer in child and adolescent psychiatry at Dundee University, said the number of children diagnosed with ADHD 'was much lower than we would expect'.
He added, 'The rise in diagnosis is very much linked to a rise in recognition of the condition. But we have to be careful that we don't use ADHD as a label for children with any sort of behavioural problem, and only use it when it is appropriate.'