Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder controversies

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PET scans show which parts of the brain are being used at a particular moment. In this example, the parts of the brain being used by someone diagnosed with ADHD are compared to the brain activity of a person not diagnosed with ADHD when both have been assigned a task requiring attention. The image may simply represent the expected, i.e. persons with ADHD are not attending to the assigned task

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental, neurobehavioural disorder, widely recognized by the medical and scientific community as causing impairment, especially in children. Attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains a controversial disorder, despite it now being a well validated clinical diagnosis. ^[1] Continued claims that the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder deserve greater scrutiny are made by some news sources, social critics, religions, and individual medical professionals. The government of the United Kingdom recognizes it as a "controversial diagnosis". ^[2] . Ethical and legal issues with regard to treatment have been key areas of concern. ^[3] The UN's International Narcotics Control Board issued warnings in 1996 about the dramatically increasing use of methylphenidate, primarily in the United States although the use of medication has leveled off. ^[4] They were concerned that the use of Ritalin was being actively promoted by an influential parent association, which had received significant financial contributions from the preparation's leading United States manufacturer. In response to their own concern that ADHD was being diagnosed too often, in May 2000, after more than two years of deliberation, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a more careful set of standards and guidelines to aid clinicians than merely using DSM-IV. ^[5] Among the other issues are^[who?]: disagreements over the cause of ADHD^{[citation needed]}, differences over research methodologies ^{[6][unreliable source?]}, skepticism toward its classification as a mental disorder, ^{[7][unreliable source?]} and the effects of diagnosis on the mental state of patients, ^{[8][unreliable source?][broken citation] [9][unreliable source?]}.

Some movements deny the existence of ADHD altogether and question virtually all mainstream beliefs about ADHD; among these are social critics. Certain religions, especially Scientology, which is against almost all aspects of psychiatric practice are highly skeptical that the diagnosis denotes a genuine impairment.

[edit] Concerns about medication

Main article: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder treatments

The National Institute of Mental Health states that, "stimulant drugs, when used with medical supervision, are usually considered quite safe".^[10] Still, individual parents and individual professionals have raised questions about the side effects of drugs and their long term use.^[11]

[edit] Alternative theories concerning ADHD

Main article: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

There are several theories that have attempted to explain ADHD. The most popular one is the Hunter vs. farmer theory which believes that those with ADHD still have older "hunter characteristics. The Neurodiversity theory states that ADHD is really only a difference of behavior and that this difference should be celebrated. Those who believe in the social construct theory of ADHD question everything about ADHD and believe the disorder was fabricated.

[edit] Misconceptions

There are many misconceptions that most people have about ADHD, among them, "Having ADHD means the person is lazy or dumb." Teachers will sometimes disregard a diagnosis of ADD, accrediting a student's lack of motivation to mere laziness. ^{[12] [13] [14]}. The misconception of a someone with ADHD as the equivalent of someone who is intellectually deficient, is so common that many^[who?] would argue that it is a hegemony among the public.^[clarify]

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[edit] Media Coverage of the ADHD Controversy

This article or section's coverage of a controversial issue may be inaccurate or unbalanced in favour of certain viewpoints. Please improve the article by adding information on neglected viewpoints, or discuss the issue on the talk page.

In recent years the media has reported on the controversies about the treatment of ADHD. Dr. Terence Kealey, a clinical biochemist and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, wrote a highly critical opinion article for The Times ^[15] . Following a BBC Panorama programme which highlighted US research. (The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD by the University of Buffalo showing treatment results of 600) suggesting drugs are no better than therapy for ADHD in the long-term. Baroness Susan Greenfield, a leading neuroscientist^[16], took a strong stand about the controversy regarding ADHD in the House of Lords.^[17]. PBS' Frontline ran a story ^[18] which has a large selection of interviews with important representatives of the various points of view. Included in this program is an interview with Xavier Castellanos then head of ADHD research at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) which contradicts many statements made on this page about what we know and don't know about the biology of ADHD.^[19] .

Frontline did a second program about the controversies in the widespread diagnosis of children^[20]

Benedict Carey has written a number of critical articles in the New York Times on the practice of psychiatry, especially with children diagnosed with bipolar disorder and/or ADHD, for example, ^[21] Parenting as Therapy for Child's Mental Disorders or ^[22] What’s Wrong With a Child? Psychiatrists Often Disagree, Debate Over Children and Psychiatric Drugs

[edit] Religious and Social critics claims of controversy

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, "the uproar over Ritalin was triggered almost single-handedly by the Scientology movement."^[23] The Citizens Commission on Human Rights, an anti-psychiatry group formed by Scientologists in 1969, conducted a major campaign against Ritalin in the 1980s and lobbied Congress for an investigation of Ritalin.^[23]. Scientology publications identified the "real target of the campaign" as "the psychiatric profession itself" and claimed the campaign "brought wide acceptance of the fact that (the commission)^[sic] and the Scientologists are the ones effectively doing something about [...] psychiatric drugging".^[23] Scientology still claims, "the controversy over the many deaths and irreversible damage caused by psychiatric drugs prescribed for children labeled with... ADHD continues to grow".^[24] The church contends that mental disorders don't exist^[25] and that, "mental and behavioral problems are largely incorrect diagnoses that cover symptoms and don't handle the real problems, which may be physical or spiritual".^[26] The Desert Morning news states that, "Scientologists are not afraid of hyperbole".

Critics from the Anti-Psychiatry movement such as Fred Baughman and Peter Breggin^{[27][28][29][30]} have extensively used the popular media to criticize ADHD and medications used for ADHD. They have also testified at Congressional hearings on the use of Ritalin and supported legal challenges such as the Ritalin class action lawsuits. Both doctors had associations with Scientology in the past but neither belongs to the church.^{[31][32][33][34][35][36]}

[edit] See also

• Anti-psychiatry
• Biopsychiatry controversy
• Oppositional Defiance Disorder
• The Gene Illusion
• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Ethical problems using children in clinical trials

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• ScienceDaily: ADD and ADHD News
• Simon Sobo, MD, "ADHD and Other Sins of Our Children"