The history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

As the number of children diagnosed with, and medicated for, Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) increases at an alarming rate, there have been questions raised as to whether ADHD is really a disorder or merely a fabricated and socially constructed problem. However, there is much evidence which shows that ADHD-related difficulties have been observed in children for at least the past century. This paper provides a detailed account of this evidence and shows that ADHD is a disorder which has affected children for at least the past 100 years.