The rise in children treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was described as "staggering" and "alarming" yesterday.

New estimates show almost 5000 children in Scotland are taking tablets for the condition every day - a 12-fold increase in little more than a decade.

But while some worried that common misbehaviour is now being treated as a medical condition, doctors argued that even more young people suffer from the disorder and could benefit from drugs.

Dr Chris Steer, a paediatric neurologist with NHS Fife, referred to the 20% increase in prescriptions for ADHD last year not as "over-prescribing" but as "catching-up".

Edinburgh-based Sophie Dow, the mother of a child with mild ADHD, set up charity Mindroom to raise awareness of the vast area of learning difficulties.

She said: "We are getting better at diagnosing ADHD, and in many cases prescribing a drug like Ritalin is the right answer. Equally, in many cases there are alternative treatments that also work."

Impulsiveness, restlessness and inattentiveness are among the symptoms listed for ADHD - adjectives which might apply to many young people at some point in their childhood.

The education and social lives of the majority will not suffer much as a result of this behaviour, but even at the severe end of the spectrum, there is scepticism about who has a medical problem and who has a discipline problem.

Judith Gillespie, development manager of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: "There is always grave disquiet about giving what are pretty powerful drugs to children, perhaps before all other options have been exhausted.

"I understand children who genuinely suffer from the condition need help and support, as do their families, but it is probably an area which needs a co-ordinated review to make sure that children are not being wrongly diagnosed.

"Our tolerance of what in the past was regarded as normal childhood behaviour, has gone down."

She argued that society is confused about children, on one hand wanting to shield them from every danger and on the other "going over-board when they misbehave".

Ms Gillespie said: "We do not seem to understand as a society that children are kind of trying to explore the boundaries of what is permissible and sometimes step wide of the mark, and therefore we tend to over-react to bad behaviour."

Asked about perceptions that poor parents reach for a diagnosis of ADHD rather than address their own failings, Ms Gillespie said knowing how to chastise children had become very complicated.

Dr Steer agreed there is confusion among parents about what constitutes ADHD and what is a behavioural problem which requires management but not prescription drugs.

However, he said clinicians should know the difference.

He pointed to evidence that ADHD is the result of inherited genes, not just the way children have been brought up. According to Dr Steer a study found when ADHD occurred among identical twins, who have the same genetic make up, both siblings were highly likely to have the condition. However, he said, among non-identical twins ADHD was more likely to afflict just one of the pair.

He also said it was difficult for families to obtain a diagnosis of ADHD.

Research suggests 1.5% of children in Scotland suffer severe ADHD and 5% have some form of the disorder, hence his argument treating 0.8% or 4939 young people with daily tablets such as Ritalin, is actually "catching up".

However, Dr Steer also stressed medication was not meant to be a stand-alone treatment. Sufferers should receive a package of care potentially including psychological and behavioural support and additional help at school and at home.