According to government researchers, an increasing number of older U.S. children are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, while diagnoses among younger children have stable levels.

The findings of a recent report, which was carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that ADHD diagnoses in children aged 12 to 17 raised by an average of 4% per year from 1997 to 2006.  On the other hand, the team of researchers didn’t perceive considerable changes in the percentage of children aged 6 to 11 diagnosed with the disorder over the same period. The statistics researchers took into account were from a health survey that comprised data on 23,000 children aged 6 to 17 collected from 2004 to 2006.

An estimated 5 percent of children aged 6 to 17 suffered from ADHD, disclosed the researchers by analyzing the report’s results. ADHD is a persistent and chronic condition for which no medical cure is available and whose symptoms usually appear in preschool. When controlling their behavior or focusing on something, juvenile patients diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder encounter difficulties. They are agitated, inattentive and more susceptible to act impulsively, the experts say.

According to researchers’ estimates, starting 2006, 4.5 million children aged 6 to 17 had been diagnosed with ADHD. Boys were twice more affected by the disorder than girls were, the study revealed. Another finding suggests that Hispanic children were far less likely than non-Hispanic ones to have ADHD. Besides, children with ADHD get in touch with a mental health professional more often, are more likely than others to take prescription drugs and have more frequent health-care visits.