ADHD or Sleep Deprivation?

A number of studies have shown that a huge proportion of children with an A.D.H.D. diagnosis also have sleep-disordered breathing like apnea or snoring, restless leg syndrome or non-restorative sleep, in which delta sleep is frequently interrupted.  

A thought-provoking opinion piece in the New York Times entitled, “Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit” bears mentioning and discussion.  In it, the author raises the point that the rising incidence with which ADHD is being diagnosed could in fact be reflective of another phenomenon: delta sleep deprivation.   

Unlike many of the pieces written lately that raise questions about the increased level of ADHD diagnoses that we are witnessing in the United States, this piece comes from someone that not only believes that ADHD is real, but often times is responsible for diagnosing that ailment himself.  Furthermore, unlike many authors who question the validity of the rates of ADHD diagnosis, not to mention those that question the reality of the ailment in the first place, this one seems to have no apparent “axe to grind” when it comes to what has been observed in the last 10 years regarding ADHD diagnosis.   

This piece raises the very real, and scientifically significant, possibility that what we are witnessing could be the result of a phenomenon that has had its share of separate press, and in fact is a known problem in Western society.  In very accessible terms, the piece essentially cautions that the conventional wisdom of “If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck . . .” is not a good standard by which to assess whether someone has ADHD.   

We think the piece is excellent food for thought and is an important consideration for any individual that is considering exploring the possibility of whether a loved one, or the individual himself may have ADHD.  It is further evidence that a diagnosis of ADHD can only be made by a qualified professional and that that professional should be skilled enough to rule out other causes whose symptoms are similar, but whose origins are not.  

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