Rise in ADHD Cases Raises Questions

Allison Burk’s daughter was struggling. The American teenager had uncontrolled emotions, a decreased ability to pay attention and trouble completing work on time. A family doctor suggested testing for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

艾莉森·伯克的女儿正在挣扎。 这位美国青少年情绪失控，注意力下降，难以按时完成工作。 一位家庭医生建议进行注意力缺陷/多动症（ADHD）检查。

This led to an unexpected discovery: The teen had ADHD, and her mother, Allison Burk, did too. During her daughter’s testing, Burk thought, “Wait a minute. This sounds familiar.” “I was able to piece together that this might be something I was experiencing,” said Burk, who lives in Columbus, Ohio.

这导致了一个意想不到的发现：这名青少年患有注意力缺陷多动症，她的母亲艾莉森·伯克也患有这种疾病。 在女儿的测试过程中，伯克想：“等一下。 这听起来很熟悉。” “我能够拼凑出这可能是我正在经历的事情，”住在俄亥俄州哥伦布市的伯克说。

She sought testing for herself and was diagnosed with ADHD — at 42 years old. More adults are being diagnosed with ADHD.

她为自己进行了检查，并在 42 岁时被诊断出患有多动症。 越来越多的成年人被诊断患有多动症。

Diagnoses have been rising for at least 20 years but seem to have increased sharply in the last few years. A recent government study suggested that more than 15 million adults in the United States — about 1 in 17 — have been diagnosed with ADHD.

至少 20 年来，诊断率一直在上升，但最近几年似乎急剧上升。 最近的一项政府研究表明，美国有超过 1500 万成年人（约 17 人中就有 1 人）被诊断患有 ADHD。

The condition starts in childhood, but about half of adults with ADHD are diagnosed when they are 18 or older. Some doctors say the number of people seeking ADHD testing is sharply increasing.

这种情况从童年开始，但大约一半患有多动症的成年人是在 18 岁或以上时被诊断出来的。 一些医生表示，寻求多动症检测的人数正在急剧增加。

“Just in our clinic, requests for assessments have doubled in the last two years,” said Justin Barterian.

“仅在我们诊所，过去两年中评估请求就增加了一倍，”贾斯汀·巴特里安 (Justin Barterian) 说。

He is a psychologist based at Ohio State University. Signs of ADHD in adults ADHD makes it hard for people to pay attention and control their behaviors.

他是俄亥俄州立大学的心理学家。 成人多动症的迹象 多动症使人们难以集中注意力和控制自己的行为。

The disorder can be genetic.

这种疾病可能是遗传性的。

Doctors often treat the disorder with drugs, behavioral therapy, or both. Judy Sandler is 62 years old and lives in the U.S. state of Maine. She was diagnosed in her 50s.

医生通常通过药物和/或行为疗法来治疗这种疾病。 朱迪·桑德勒 (Judy Sandler) 62 岁，住在美国缅因州。 她在 50 多岁时被诊断出患有这种疾病。

Sandler describes what ADHD feels like for her. “It’s like there’s an engine in you and you feel like it’s always running, and you can’t turn it off except with medication,” Sandler said. ADHD has been called the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder in American children. More than 7 million children in the U.S. have been diagnosed.

桑德勒描述了她的多动症感受。 “就像你体内有一个引擎，你感觉它一直在运转，除非用药物，否则你无法将其关闭，”桑德勒说。 ADHD 被称为美国儿童中最常见的精神健康障碍。 美国已有超过 700 万儿童被确诊。

The disorder was once thought to be something that resolved as children became adults. But now, experts say they believe that many people are not diagnosed as kids and that the disorder continues into adulthood. Adults with the condition talk about having trouble focusing on immediate responsibilities and planning their time.

这种疾病一度被认为会随着儿童成年而消失。 但现在，专家表示，他们相信许多人在儿童时期并未被诊断出这种疾病，并且这种疾病会持续到成年。 患有这种疾病的成年人表示很难专注于眼前的责任和计划自己的时间。

Some say the disorder has led to problems in their personal relationships.

有些人说这种疾病导致了他们的人际关系出现问题。

Diagnoses have been rising Diagnoses have been increasing in both kids and adults. The recent government report also found adult ADHD was more common than earlier estimates had suggested.

诊断人数一直在上升 儿童和成人的诊断都在增加。 最近的政府报告还发现，成人多动症比之前的估计更为常见。

“We haven’t had (federal) adult ADHD data in a long time,” said Angelika Claussen. The U.S.

“我们已经很长时间没有（联邦）成人多动症数据了，”安吉莉卡·克劳森说。美国

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher was one of the study’s writers. There were signs of the rise, she added.

美国疾病控制与预防中心的研究员是该研究的作者之一。 她补充说，有上升的迹象。

Increasing demand for ADHD medication led to severe shortages after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. A 2023 study showed the rise in prescriptions, or doctors’ orders for such medication, was notable in adults — especially among women.

2020 年 3 月爆发 COVID-19 疫情后，对 ADHD 药物的需求不断增加，导致药物严重短缺。 2023 年的一项研究表明，此类药物的处方或医生处方的增加在成年人中尤其明显，尤其是女性。

ADHD diagnoses and medication were increasing before the pandemic. This is partly because of a change in general diagnostic measures in 2013. Those changes expanded the definition of ADHD and reduced the number of signs, or symptoms, required for diagnosis.

在大流行之前，多动症的诊断和药物治疗一直在增加。 部分原因是 2013 年一般诊断措施发生了变化。 这些变化扩大了多动症的定义，并减少了诊断所需的体征或症状的数量。

But cases really seemed to increase in 2020, when schools closed and many adults were forced to work from home. “It’s very difficult to focus when you are home and you have kids,” Claussen said. She said such conditions may have worsened ADHD symptoms in people with less severe cases.

但到了 2020 年，病例似乎确实有所增加，当时学校关闭，许多成年人被迫在家工作。 “当你在家并且有孩子时，很难集中注意力，”克劳森说。 她说，对于病情不太严重的人来说，这种情况可能会加重多动症的症状。

How ADHD is diagnosed in adults Experts say that it was long believed that ADHD was underdiagnosed in adults.

如何诊断成人多动症 专家表示，长期以来人们一直认为成人多动症的诊断不足。

Now, experts debate about whether it has become over-diagnosed. There is no blood or brain test for the disorder.

现在，专家们争论它是否被过度诊断。 没有针对这种疾病的血液或脑部测试。

Experts say it is diagnosed when symptoms cause ongoing problems in more than one area of life, and when those symptoms began in early childhood.

专家表示，当症状在生活的多个领域引起持续的问题，并且这些症状在儿童早期就开始出现时，就可以诊断出这种疾病。

Experts say the best way professionals diagnose ADHD is by getting careful histories from patients and from people who know them. They also might test a patient’s memory and ability to focus.

专家表示，专业人士诊断多动症的最佳方法是从患者和认识他们的人那里详细了解病史。 他们还可能测试患者的记忆力和注意力集中能力。

But getting an appointment with a mental health professional can take months. And assessments can cost thousands of dollars. Many people turn to family doctors. People also take online diagnostic tests, some of which are linked to health companies that prescribe medications.

但与心理健康专家的预约可能需要几个月的时间。 评估费用可能高达数千美元。 许多人求助于家庭医生。 人们还进行在线诊断测试，其中一些与开药的医疗公司有关。

“There is a wide variability in this country in how people diagnose, how strict they are, and who they diagnose,” said Margaret Sibley. She is psychologist at University of Washington. The American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders is preparing a set of diagnosis and treatment guidelines for American health professionals who treat adults. Sibley is leading the work on the guidelines, which the organization expects to release later this year.

玛格丽特·西布利说：“这个国家的人们诊断方式、诊断严格程度以及诊断对象都有很大差异。” 她是华盛顿大学的心理学家。 美国多动症和相关疾病专业协会正在为治疗成人的美国健康专业人员制定一套诊断和治疗指南。 西布利正在领导该指南的制定工作，该组织预计将在今年晚些时候发布。

And I'm Jill Robbins. Mike Stobbe reported this story for the Associated Press from New York, New York.

我是吉尔·罗宾斯。 迈克·斯托贝 (Mike Stobbe) 在纽约州纽约市为美联社报道了这一故事。

Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

安娜·马特奥 (Anna Matteo) 将其改编为美国之音英语学习频道。 美联社健康与科学部得到霍华德休斯医学院科学与教育媒体集团和罗伯特伍德约翰逊基金会的支持。

The AP is solely responsible for all content. __________________________________________________ teenager -n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old familiar -adj. frequently seen or experienced diagnose -v. to recognize a disease or condition in clinic -n. a place for the treatment of people needing medical help who do not stay overnight assessment -n. the action or an instance of making a judgment about something psychologist -n. a person who specializes in the study of mind and behavior or in the treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders focus -v. to cause to be concentrated prescribe -v. to order or direct the use of something as a remedy variable -adj. able or likely to change : variability -n. strict -adj. completely correct : exact : precise

美联社对所有内容全权负责。 _________________________________________________ 少年-n. 13 岁至 19 岁之间的人 熟悉的-adj.经常见到或经历过 诊断-v.识别疾病或状况 诊所-n.为需要医疗帮助但不过夜的人提供治疗的地方 评估-n.对某事做出判断的行动或实例 心理学家-n.专门研究思想和行为或治疗精神、情绪和行为障碍的人 焦点-v.使集中 规定-v.命令或指导使用某物作为补救措施 变量-adj.能够或可能改变：可变性-n。 严格的-adj.完全正确 : 准确 : 精确