Why are fewer African American children with ADHD treated with medication?

Why are fewer African American children with ADHD treated with medication? One of the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders in children in the United States is Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. A timely diagnosis of ADHD allows eligible children to receive adaptive, specialized educational programming in school and medication that can help control the disorder’s negative impact on behavior and learning. Yet, not all groups of children are equally likely to be diagnosed for ADHD and receive subsequent treatment and medication for the same. Despite displaying more significant ADHD symptomatology, African-American children are diagnosed with ADHD at only two-thirds the rate of white children, and therefore may have unmet medical needs.