Psychiatric Tsunami: 1 In 5 Children Now Have A Mental Disorder

Last week the CDC released a report titled “Mental Health Surveillance Among Children — United States, 2005–2011”. For the first time the US government has taken a close look at the incidence and prevalence of common childhood disorders such as ADHD, depression, anxiety disorders, serious behavior problems and similar conditions. The report concluded: “A total of 13%–20% of children living in the United States experience a mental disorder in a given year, and surveillance during 1994–2011 has shown the prevalence of these conditions to be increasing”. Over time many children develop more than one of these disorders.

An Epidemic of Childhood Brain Dysfunction
What’s going on here? Are we becoming a nation of loonies and misfits? Some people think we have simply gotten better at diagnosing these conditions, but I respectfully disagree with their perspective. Because I have been practicing medicine for 35 years, it is clear to me that these diseases are truly increasing in our population, especially in children. Over the decades I have had a front row seat to document this mental health disaster. Ask any experienced Pediatrician or schoolteacher and they will tell you the same thing—kids today are simply different than they were decades ago.

When faced with such a sudden change in our population, we know that the genes haven’t changed so we need to look at the environment influences that might be negatively impacting our children. Perhaps it’s due to changing parenting practices or single parent households. How about environmental toxins, thinning of the ozone layer or global warming? Lead paint, immunizations, fluoridation of water and pesticides seem to be popular targets. Although some of these factors might be in play, I believe that it comes down to an obvious change in our environment—the food we eat.