Prescriptions For ADHD Stimulants On The Rise

More and more kids and teens are being prescribed stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new government report.

Researchers looked at data onstimulant prescriptionsbetween 1996 and 2008, and found that the number of prescriptions for kids younger than 19 increased from 2.4 percent in 1996, to 3.5 percent in 2008.

Kids ages 6 to 12 had the most prescriptions -- 4.2 percent in 1996 to 5.1 percent in 2008 -- but teens ages 13 to 18 had the biggest increase in prescriptions, from 2.3 percent in 1996 to 4.9 percent in 2008, according to the data.

Common ADHD medications include Ritalin (a methylphenidate) and Adderall (an amphetamine).

"Stimulant medications work well tocontrol ADHD symptoms, but they are only one method of treatment for the condition," study researcher Benedetto Vitiello, M.D., of NIH's National Institute of Mental Health, said in a statement. "Experts estimate that about 60 percent of children with ADHD are treated with medication."

Besides prescription medications, behavioral therapy is another option for treating ADHD, the NIH reported.Alternative therapies, like yoga and meditation, special diet (sans sugar, caffeine and common allergens), herbal supplements and neurofeedback training, could also help to treat ADHD, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Researchers also found that boys were three times more likely toreceive stimulant prescriptionsthan girls, and were most often prescribed among white children (compared with black or Hispanic children).

These days, about1 in 10 kids is diagnosed with ADHD, according to a CDC report released just last month. In that report, researchers found that ADHD diagnoses rose from 7 percent in 1998 to 9 percent between 2007 and 2009.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.