Hi everyone,
I was doing some reading recently and stumbled on an article about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by Lawrence T. White, Ph.D that caught my eye. I thought it might be worth exposing here considering the ADHD epidemic the news tells us is taking over the country. Or is it?
ADHD is defined in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by two major criteria (Inattentiveness and hyperactivity) that each have their own list of symptoms that define them. The symptoms must also be present across various settings (like home and school, not just one or the other) and be present before age 12. The Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology reported that the prevalence of ADHD in children in the United States is a staggering 9.4%, while in European countries like Sweden it’s a much smaller 3.7%. What is going on?
Researchers have proposed a few ideas. Perhaps it is more prevalent in some countries than others. Maybe it has something to do with a different definition of ADHD between countries. Or maybe, just maybe, some countries tend to over-report symptoms and see symptoms when they aren’t really there. Dr. White wrote about a study which examined various hypotheses and the study suggested that the likely culprit is that last point; parents in the US likely over report symptoms.
My education and experience would tend to agree. In many cases symptoms are present in only one setting (just school or just at home) rather than two or three. It could be that the parents are struggling with “getting their child to behave” or a teacher is struggling getting one particular child to conform with the others. If the problem is only happening in one setting we too easily scapegoat the child and forget that it might actually be a problem with the classroom or something at home. It has become far to easy to medicate a problem away than it is to examine a possible problem at home or school.
Children aren’t little adults. They have to undergo a lot of physical and mental development as that grow. Part of that very important development comes form play. So please, when you see a child who isn’t paying attention like the rest, take a moment to stop yourself from just blaming the child and investigate something about the setting that may be causing the issue. It might even just be the child seeking the kind of routine play children need. Nobody wants to see even more medicated children.
-Travis