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Abstract: 

Despite the fact that medications are commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), concerns are often expressed by the lay public, the media, and health professionals about using ADHDrelated medications for children with emotional or behavioral problems. However, as discussed below, some negative claims about the use of ADHD medications in children, such as reports about dramatic rates of “over-prescribing,” may be based less in fact than in misunderstanding, stigma, and/or fear. The accusatory question sometimes heard by parents— “Are you drugging your child?”—suggests a double standard for the use of psychotropic medications.

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Affiliations:  1: Center for the Advancement of Children’s Mental Health, Columbia University.