Study Documents Disparities In ADHD Medication Use

By Joetta L. Sack

White students in Maryland are taking medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder much more frequently than their minority peers, says a major study released last week.

In a state-commissioned report with national implications, researchers found that about twice as many white elementary students as African-American students are using medication for the disorder.

And, once those students reach high school, when medication usage drops off, white students are about five times as likely to be using those prescription drugs as black students, the report's authors write in the September issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the...