Number Of Children Diagnosed With ADHD On The Rise, Study Reveals

BOSTON (CBS) -- The number of kids diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is on the rise.

According to a new study, between 2003 and 2011, the number of diagnoses of ADHD rose by 43 percent and even more among black and Hispanic children and even girls, a surprise since ADHD is typically more common in boys.

Some possible explanations for the rise in cases are a better recognition of symptoms, especially more subtle ones, greater pressures on teens to perform in school, leading to more ADHD assessments, and a greater attention to minority kids who may have slipped through the cracks in years past.