Economic costs of untreated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

¶ … economic burden Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The research arguable issue yield a 1000-1200 words. All work local (USA) global.

The economic burden of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been discovered relatively recently, meaning as such that progress has yet to be made in terms of treatment and management. Additionally, research is also yet to be exhaustive, as numerous aspects of the affection remain uncharted.

One important aspect of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is represented by the economic cost of the affection, revealed at multiple levels, such as the cost for the healthcare system, as well as the costs for the family. The current project assesses this issue through the lenses of the research that has already been conducted on the topic, in an effort to centralize and conclude upon the matter. The means in which this endeavor would be addressed is that of the Toulmin Method.

Background

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is an affection generally diagnosed in children, and manifested by high levels of activity, yet limited ability to concentrate. This results in difficulties completing their school works, and can impact their adult life as well.

The research background on the topic of the economic burden of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is generally focused on the computation of the costs incurred in the provision of medical treatment to persons with ADHD. The primary studies have shown difference between the health care costs of children without ADHD and children with ADHD ranging from $503 to $1,343; the results for the adults were even higher, with differences in health care costs ranging from $4,929 to $5,651 (Matza, Paramore and Prasad, 2005).

Still, regarding other aspects of the economic implications of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the research in these fields is rather scarce.

3. The claim

The economic cost of treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is less important than the social and economic costs of leaving such an affection untreated. Specifically, this claim is based on the vast literature revealing high costs of medical care for ADHD patients.

4. The data

Strict and clear data is difficult to obtain, but some direct and indirect costs are accepted and associated with:

Direct medical costs

Costs to families

Costs of criminality

Costs of co-morbidity

Costs of accidents

Costs of lost work ((Matza, Paramore and Prasad, 2005).

5. The warrant

The initial costs with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are associated with the medical care and the family care costs of treatment. Nevertheless, if these costs are decreased and the disease is inadequately treated, more complex social and economic costs would arise and increase. For instance:

The costs of criminality are increased with ADHD patients. Studies have for instance shown that the rate of arrest of people with ADHD is about 46 per cent in adolescents and 21 per cent in adults, compared to 11 per cent and 1 per cent rate in individuals without ADHD.

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder have often been diagnosed with other diseases, such as anxiety disorder or other psychiatric conditions, which make them more prone to severe problems.

People with ADHD are exposed to a higher risk of accidents, often due to their overactive and impulsive behavior

Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are more prone to miss work due to accidents or other circumstances, meaning as such that there is an increased cost of lost work for the business community ((Matza, Paramore and Prasad, 2005).

In such a context, it appears that the alternative to the high economic costs of ADHD treatment is a high socio-economic cost upon the entire community.

6. Backing

As it has been revealed throughout the previous sections, the costs of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are complex and present at multiple levels of the society, from the individual and his family, to the greater community. In this setting, it would appear as necessary and useful to invest more in the research and treatment of ADHD in an effort to decrease these cost for the society.

In this particular context, it is useful to assess the cost effectiveness of the treatments used for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. From the economic standpoint, the cost effectiveness of the ADHD treatment would balance the costs incurred in the delivery of the treatment with the benefits generated by the treatments; this feature of the analysis makes it highly suitable in the given context.

In this order of ideas, the cost effectiveness of the ADHD treatments is increased throughout the first six months of the treatment, but it then decreases gradually. Additionally, this effectiveness is uncertain in the future life of the treated patient (Matza, Paramore and Prasad, 2005). Nevertheless, this is only the strict economic figure, and the need for ADHD treatment is also supported by ethics.

7. Counterclaim

The society is paying an increased economic cost for the treatment of the patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, when it could use those financial resources to invest in other directions, such as finding a cure for cancer.

9. Conclusions

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is an important ailment affecting millions of people worldwide. Since the discovery and treatment of the disease are relatively novel, the research in the field is also new and often scarce. And this research does not necessarily refer to medical research, which is vast and undergoing, but more so to other, less medical, dimensions of the problem.

The current project has addressed this issue through the lenses of the economic complications of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The starting point was represented by the recognition of the high economic cost of ADHD, but the argument that this cost is less important than the alterative of not treating ADHD and facing the multitude of socio-economic costs deriving from such an outcome.

With the use of the Toulmin Method and gradual argumentation, this claim was substantiated. In other words, it is more socially and economically sound -- as well as it is moral -- to adequately treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, rather than focus on the financial dimension.

References:

Bernfort, L., Nordfeldt, S., Persson, J., 2007, ADHD from a socio-economic perspective, Foundation Acta Paediatrtica

Daley, D., Birchwood, J., 2009, ADHD and academic performance: why does ADHD impact on academic performance and what can be done to support ADHD children in the classroom, Child: care, health and development

Matza, L.S., Paramore, C., Prasad, M., 2005, A review of the economic burden of ADHD, http://www.resource-allocation.com/content/3/1/5 last accessed on March 30, 2012

Weida, S., Stolley, K., Organizing your argument, Owl Purdue, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/03 / last accessed on March 30, 2012