Assertions that ADHD is even a disorder are open to question, according to one psychologist who claims the research has been compromised by drug company funding.

The gender gap -- boys are more than twice as likely as girls to take ADHD medication -- is closing among adults as more women 20 to 44 years old are diagnosed and treated, says Medco chief medical officer Robert Epstein.

About 1 out of 100 adults 20 to 44 were on ADHD medication in 2004, up from about 1 out of 200 in 2000, according to prescription records for 2.4 million people insured through Medco. The number is a representative sample of the 60 million Medco members, Epstein says.

More kids and teens also are taking attention-deficit drugs. The number has increased from about 3% to 4.4% over four years, the report shows.

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising

The surge in adult use came amid growing direct-to-consumer advertising and the Food and Drug Administration's approval for the first time of drugs to treat adult ADHD, says pediatrician Andrew Adesman.

"Doctors are becoming more comfortable using these medicines with adults," says Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, NY.

Although estimates vary, many children with ADHD continue to have attention-deficit symptoms into adulthood, studies suggest.

"It's nice to see that more adults are recognizing the symptoms and getting help," says David Goodman, a psychiatry professor at Johns Hopkins University and director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland.

Children often outgrow the hyperactivity part of the disorder, which is more common among boys than it is in girls, Goodman says. But difficulties with concentrating and staying organized, the symptoms more common among girls, tend to persist into adulthood, he adds.

"These symptoms may be easier to ignore in girls but become more prominent with mounting adult responsibilities," Goodman says.

Bogus Disease?

Though some experts applaud the increasing role of medication, others say pills aren't the only way to treat symptoms.

Assertions that ADHD is even a disorder are open to question, says David Stein, a psychologist in Farmville, Va., and author of Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco: Successful Parenting Without Drugs.

"It's a bogus disease," Stein says. "The research is so compromised by drug company money and influence that it's not independent."

More people have trouble concentrating because of "information overload," Stein says.

He treats kids and adults using behavior modification and teaches them how to create calmer environments.

Medication "masks creativity and the natural strengths" of people who have attention-deficit symptoms, says Kirk Martin of Celebrate!ADHD, a counseling and coaching service in Ashburn, Va.

These adults often are much happier when they move from detail-oriented to more entrepreneurial jobs, he says.

Martin also counsels parents in how to deal with kids' ADHD symptoms "but allow them to keep their creative edge" without use of drugs.