Take a look at these statistics:

http://www.boysproject.net/statistics.html

the dichotomy is startling.

Also, google "bisphenol boys estrogen" and read about the birth defects that boys are especially sensitive to, because of estrogen-mimicing chemicals common in food packaging, baby bottles and toys.

In part the issue is the constant escalation of educational standards across the board, and there is pressure to bring hyperactive boys into line with this even if they may not be "naturally" suited for it.

This extends to college. I have seen a number of college students on stimulants who never would have been college material at all had they not been diagnosed with ADHD.

It's very complex--diagnosis can be either detrimental or empowering depending on outcome. Across 300 million people it is difficult to measure outcome (compared to...what?).

Perhaps measuring outcomes is difficult but I'm pretty sure there must be some better way of doing it than is currently in existence, which is next to nothing beyond some short time frame for most of mental health. Very few longitudinal studies are really done. There is no doubt in my mind that if we really started measuring outcomes in a meaningful way we would find out just what garbage most of psychopharmacology is by any long term criterion. Maybe it's in part because of the hold that capitalism has on our society but short term results seem to be all that anyone cares about --the next test, the next exam, and that goes for those ridiculous psych evaluation questionnaires as well as school tests. Let's see what's really happening in people's lives and then decide if these treatment paradigms are any good or not. We need stories and narratives and lots of them.

I think your overstating things a bit. It's not like half the boys are drugged, so I'd hardly explect a seachange in how boys are growing up.

People use chemicals, guilt free to control and discipline their children now. Instead of the “rod”.

As in "Spare the rod and spoil the child".

Yes, that author is absolutely correct about how this perspective on classroom behavior in the young is fueling this epidemic of misdiagnosis.

No child should be given ADHD medication, not bc the diagnosis excludes all other possible and more likely causes, or because, it isnt actually treating a bona fide disease, but bc what happens in kindergarten really doesnt effect a child's future education or career much at all.

I am not against students in higher grades high-school up, using stimulant medication bc they find it helps them academically or vocationally, although I am personally against. But at least in these stages its effects can be measured with some kind of confidence that its helping. Secondly, no children deserve to be experimented on by their parents, teachers, or physicians, with drugs whose long term side effects are currently unknown.

But most importantly, simnply being fidgety and distracted in kindergarten, isn't going to mean a whole lot academically or vocationally.

Lastly, young boys are fidgety and distracted, it has to do with biological predispositions, that are part of being human, one organism among millions on this planet. It isnt a pathological, something to be stopped, and least of all not a disease.

It just happens though that some teachers, parents, and physicians like that answer better though. That's it. No ones denying any child is having trouble in school paying attention or sitting still. But it just isn't a disease.

Before I was put on the stimulants, I used to be a shy, quiet kid who had really bad focusing and concentration. Eventually, as the stimulants changed, when I was put on a combination of Dexedrine, Cylert and another stimulant, my personality suddenly changed. I went from being shy, quiet, calm and passive to being outgoing, hyperactive and argumentative. I lost all impulse control and no one knew it was from the stimulants. I got in trouble at school and camp, which had never, ever happened before and was briefly sent to a school for kids with issues and later put on Risperdal. The thing is, that was not my real personality. I was a shy and quiet person but the stimulants totally changed me. Unusual outgoing behavior is in the side effects profile of stimulants. My real personality was nothing like that and I got in so much trouble because of the stimulants. After Risperdal I became quiet, shy, agreeable and my personality went to how it was before. It's been many years, but later I would use Dexedrine recreationally for the euphoria and to get high and my personality did not change. Now that I'm much older, I know what the medication does, so it changes things. The Dexedrine and Cylert combination completely changed my personality, it made me this totally different person. However, Dexedrine is an awesome drug to get high on and use for fun reasons, but using it on kids before and during puberty can cause personality changes. Dexedrine is a lot of fun to use to get high, though, the euphoria is great. I don't know whether it was the Dexedrine or the Cylert which changed my personality, I was on like three stimulants at once at the time, as well as Prozac and after awhile the same doctor who gave me the stimulants that messed up my personality gave me the Risperdal. I also got a coughing tic from the stimulants and they made me really skinny. I would type more, but my spacebar is messed up so it takes awhile to type.