The Increased Rate of Stimulant Treatment for Hyperactive/Inattentive Students in Secondary Schools

Abstract

To describe trends in medication use for hyperactive/inattentive (HA/I) secondary school students from 1975 through 1993 and to present differences in the treatment of HA/I relative to school grade. A comprehensive survey of the HA/I treatment of public elementary and secondary school students has been conducted biennially by school nurses in Baltimore County, MD since 1975. Although only 11% of all public school students on medication for HA/I were in secondary schools in 1975, the proportion gradually rose such that in the 1990s, 30% of all medicated students were attending secondary schools. Also in secondary schools, the gender ratio for students on medication for HA/I narrowed from a 1:12 female/male ratio in 1981 to a 1:6 female/male ratio in 1993. Many more elementary school students are now remaining on stimulant medication for HA/I into their teens. Compared with a decade ago, relatively more girls are on stimulant treatment for HA/I during their secondary school years.