Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A critical review of the most common child and adolescent DSM diagnosis in the United States (1952 to 2013)

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric diagnosis for children and adolescents in the United States; however, there has been ongoing controversy over its nosology structure and empirical validity. This study traces the historical construction of ADHD over the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ lifetime (DSM I to 5) and reviews the, at times, controversial changes and intermittent validity attained by the current symptom-based diagnosis. Implications for clinical social work practice include serious concerns about the extensive use of a mental health diagnosis for an at-risk population that may not be warranted by existing empirical evidence.