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A peer and neuroscientist will call on ministers to examine how attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is diagnosed and treated in the UK.

Independent peer Baroness Susan Greenfield will raise the issue in the House of Lords on Wednesday.

Her intervention follows a BBC Panorama programme which highlighted US research suggesting drugs are no better than therapy for ADHD in the long-term.

There was also evidence that their use may stunt child growth.

We need to find out urgently why there has been such a remarkable increase in the numbers of children being diagnosed with ADHD
Baroness Susan Greenfield

The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD by the University of Buffalo has been monitoring the treatment of 600 children across the US since the 1990s.

Most of the estimated 500,000 children in Britain with ADHD receive no treatment at all.

But of those that do, most - about 55,000 last year - are prescribed stimulants like Ritalin and Concerta.

Wide-ranging inquiry

Baroness Greenfield will call for a wide-ranging inquiry into the huge increase in ADHD diagnoses.

She said: "As well as assessing ADHD drugs themselves, we also need to find out urgently why there has been such a remarkable increase in the numbers of children being diagnosed with ADHD in the last 20 years or so.

"Could the changes to our ways of living be contributing to this increase?

"The time is ripe for an inquiry exploring the actual causes of ADHD that goes beyond merely evaluating the pros and cons of Ritalin.

"Such an inquiry could consider diverse factors ranging from diet through to screen-based activity and how they may be changing the way both children and adults interact socially.

"Children live a fast-paced, highly interactive, response mode type of existence, and maybe as a result when they go to school they find it harder to sit still."

A Department of Health spokesperson said the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) had advised that drugs should only be used to treat ADHD as part of a comprehensive treatment programme, including behavioural therapy.

"Careful, informed clinical decision-making, involving the parents and child should involve discussion of the benefits versus the risks of all interventions.

"We have also asked NICE to develop a clinical guideline on both the pharmacological and psychological interventions to treat ADHD."

Thanks Speeds.

Did you see the programme the other evening about ADHD and drug treatment for the children affected?

They were saying that the drugs do seem to make a difference to start with but that over time the drugs didn't seem to work as well.

I hope they find an answer because it must be so hard for these young people to have to live with as well as their families.

my son was diagnosed with adhd apart from everything else. the boy in the programme was unlike my son and it appeared he also had some emotional stuff going on, the parents appeared to shout at him so much whilst they were telling him to calm down. even the grandma put her walking stick towards him and shouted, clearly lots of things going on apart from the adhd i would think. i have made the decision not to use medication and so far i have made the right decision. i have nothing against medication but it is a very personal choice of course. my daughter takes meds and without them she wouldnt really be able to do very much at all without exploding all the time. i hope adhd will be looked at because for some children who are diagnosed i do believe the right management is more important. just my opinion of course.

barbs sorry i know i prattle on a bit sometimes.