Hyperactivity among white middle-class children. Psychogenic and other causes.

This paper investigates the problem of hyperactivity in school children and draws on the literature in the field, data collected from comprehensive examinations of 37 hyperactive children, and extensive field interviews with Chicago-area school nurses, social workers, psychologists, teachers, and principals. The research indicates that although constitutional factors are at times responsible for this problem, hyperactivity is due to psychogenic factors much more frequently than is often recognized. It also was found that school teachers seem overly inclined to identify hyperactivity in their students and to recomment that it be counteracted with prescribed drugs. The suggestion is offered that any child thought to be hyperactive undergo a comprehensive examination before such drugs as Ritalin and Dexedrine are prescribed.