Research seeks explanation for rise in kinetic disorders

Researchers are calling for further scrutiny of child mental health following a Danish study of almost 700,000 children which found that the likelihood of a five-year-old being diagnosed with a hyperkinetic disorder, similar to ADHD, almost tripled between 1992 and 1999. Using a national database of children born between 1990 and 1999, the study, published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, recorded 4,637 diagnoses from ages three to 13 for autistic disorders, hyperkinetic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome.