America isn't an extreme outlier. And most of the variation around the world can be explained by different diagnostic criteria.[1] Look for numbers around the world to jump as countries adopt ICD-11.
84% of total world wide ADHD meds are eaten in the USA. There is a difference between identifying symptoms and thinking stimulants are the answer or just not paying any attention.
Just like in Europe the medical consensus is that people have to learn to live with pain rather eating oxy's. It doesnt meant the doctors pain didn't exist in their patients.
I know you don't intend it this way, but it does come across as cruel when confronted with realities.
> 84% of total world wide ADHD meds are eaten in the USA.
That's of course because US is ahead of the curve in medicine.
> Just like in Europe the medical consensus is that people have to learn to live with pain rather eating oxy's.
This isn't a medical consensus. We just don't push opioids for everything so early. We start with paracetamol and ibuprofen, upgrade to ketoprofen and other NSAIDs in more specialized or severe cases, and continue as needed. But living with pain is not an acceptable answer here either.
Stimulant meds work very well on ADHD and are very safe, both short and long-term; it's a much better story than say SSRIs and depression. The main problem here is the combination of stigma (oh no, amphetamines!) and fears of abuse by people not suffering from ADHD (oh yes, amphetamines!) - both of which are in large part fueled by the US War on Drugs, the unending source of pathologies and suffering worldwide.
Stimulants also work very well on people without ADHD, so why not give them to everyone!?
It seems crazy that we've made it this far as a species without medication; so why should it be required now? Maybe the issue isn't the children, but the environment they are in?
- teachers had a lot more options when it came to disciplining kids
- many left school for work at age 15 - 16
Do you want the good old times back?
(Another thing is many countries have changed the curriculum to be even more heavy on theory than it used to be. That I would like to change, both for the kids and for future employers: broad practical experience probably increases someones chances in engineering and probably other disciplines as well.)
Says in the article 7 times more likely to get adhd meds in the US than UK. America is wealthy but these numbers are way off compared to similarly developed nation.
Could you point out where the article claims that? It's padded extensively with selective and often irrelevant factoids and speculation about ADHD diagnosis, recreational drug use, etc.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1994964/