CDC: 1 In 5 US Children May Have Mental Disorder

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kidsNearly 1 in 5 children in the U.S. suffers from a mental disorder, and this number has been rising for more than a decade.

According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 20 percent of American children are suffering from mental disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression and autism.

The CDC’s first study of mental disorders among children aged 3 to 17 also found that the cost of medical bills for treatment of such disorders is up to $247 billion each year.

“This is a deliberate effort by CDC to show mental health is a health issue. As with any health concern, the more attention we give to it, the better. It’s parents becoming aware of the facts and talking to a health-care provider about how their child is learning, behaving and playing with other kids,” said Dr. Ruth Perou, the study’s lead author.

The CDC data was collected between 1994 and 2011, and it shows that the number of children being diagnosed with mental disorders has been steadily growing. The study did not conclude exactly why the numbers are increasing.

More research is needed to determine the specific causes of mental disorders, said Dr. Perou, and that greater awareness could lead to an uptick in diagnoses. A host of environmental factors, including chemical exposure and poverty, also can affect a child’s mental health, she said.

The study also found that girls were more prone to depression and alcohol abuse than boys, and that 6.8 percent of U.S. children are affected by attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Read more at CBS LOCAL.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}


6 COMMENTS

  1. The more trash (MSG, take out…)we put into are mouths the sicker we are getting. Any connection? Something to think about.

  2. I don’t know how accurate this article is but I’m sure the cdc has a mental disorder. Who funds this stuff? Without headline-making news they wouldn’t get funds so their findings are certainly suspect.

  3. Sorry to tell all the health nuts out there, my anecdotal experience as a principal for 30+ years has shown me that all of these mental health issues are just as prevelant, if not more so, among the hyper health conscious community.
    On the other hand, ignoring comon sense health issues like nutrition and sleep can certainly aggravate problems.
    Please parents, pseudo science is not a replacement for common sense. Bring up your children with seichel, with simcha and with tefilla. Don’t assume that you know better than everyone else or that it’s supposed to be easy for you or for your children and be”H you’ll reap much nachas.

  4. as innocuous as it sounds, #1 is a dangerous comment. The uptick may be due to changes in diagnosis standards or some pollution in the environment. The benefits of vaccines vastly outweigh the risks.

  5. If you think that #1 has any discretion and wisdom, go back to checking your frozen stringbeans to see if there is a broccoli plant growing in their bag.

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