Why then, are there concerns that stimulant medication is over-prescribed? According to the US Surgeon General (Surgeon General's Report 2001), "Most researchers believe that much of the increased use of stimulants reflects better diagnosis and more effective treatment of a prevalent disorder."

Understanding the recent history behind ADHD could explain, at least partially, the increase in prescriptions written, especially in the early 1990s. In the early 1990s, there was a great debate on the validity of the diagnosis of ADHD. As a mother, I watched many television documentaries and talk shows on the evils of stimulant medications. My son, at this time, had not been diagnosed with ADHD, although he had been having problems in school and at home. I watched these shows because the symptoms and behaviors doctors and parents discussed were the same as I was dealing with. I watched because I knew something was wrong and had not yet been able to find the answers. The vast majority of publicity talked about ADHD not being a "real" disorder, it talked about drugging our children and children turning into zombies. Even so, it was publicity and people began to listen. They began to see that their children were having the same problems. Like me, parents began to say, "Maybe there is something to this." Although the point of many of these programs was to dispel ADHD, it may have had the opposite effect. It provided a name to the behaviors of many children.