... than a help and so our whole approach to the diagnosis needs re-consideration, including the possibility that this diagnosis should be abandoned. Chapters include: introduction; case studies; the history of autism; the cult of child development; the biological evidence; classification; the problem of heterogeneity; gender; culture and socialization; culture as a cause of 'autistic' behaviours;
This book, in collaboration with two ex-service users, re-examines, deconstructs and critiques modern mainstream theory and practice in relation to autism. It examines changes in the conceptualisation of autism in the West from a rare disorder affecting a small number of individuals with moderate to severe learning difficulties to becoming a broad continuum mainly diagnosed in males deemed to have poor social or emotional competence. Arguing that this change is primarily ideological the book describes how the medicalisation of boys' and men's social and emotional behaviour has a close relationship to social, political, economic, and cultural changes that have occurred in the West in recent decades. The conclusion is controversial: that the concept of Autism has become a hindrance rather than a help and so our whole approach to the diagnosis needs re-consideration, including the possibility that this diagnosis should be abandoned. Chapters include: introduction; case studies; the history of autism; the cult of child development; the biological evidence; classification; the problem of heterogeneity; gender; culture and socialization; culture as a cause of 'autistic' behaviours; the new eugenics; and autism re-examined.
Psychiatrist (The), 35(9), September 2011, pp.334-338.
Publisher:
Royal College of Psychiatrists
... that the diagnosis of adult ADHD is questionable and that it represents one of the latest attempts to medicalise ordinary human difficulties, and that its popularity is partly dependent on marketing and the reinforcing effects of stimulants.
There has been a significant rise in the number of adults diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including increasing numbers that were never diagnosed as children. The condition is now endorsed by NICE and will be included in the next American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Advocates believe that it can be reliably defined and, in contrast to previous practice, recommend that drug treatment begun in childhood be continued into adulthood. The “opposition” argues that adult ADHD is “medicalised underperformance” and raise concerns about widespread diversion and illicit use of prescription stimulants. The authors question whether adult ADHD does indeed represent a discrete condition that is distinguishable from ordinary behaviour and other psychiatric disorders, and whether it is related to the childhood disorder, since adult and childhood ADHD are characterised by a different range of symptoms. Although studies of stimulant drugs find marginal short-term effects, which can be explained by their psychoactive properties, the authors suggest that there is little evidence of sustained long-term benefit. They conclude that the diagnosis of adult ADHD is questionable and that it represents one of the latest attempts to medicalise ordinary human difficulties, and that its popularity is partly dependent on marketing and the reinforcing effects of stimulants.
Subject terms:
medical treatment, medication, psychiatry, ADHD, adults, diagnosis;
British Journal of Psychiatry, 184(1), January 2004, pp.8-9.
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has received significant research attention and is a problem that is rarely out of the news - whether it is concerns about treating children with amphetamines, its over- or underdiagnosis, or the long-term outcomes. Fundamental to the discussion are questions about whether the diagnosis of ADHD actually holds water and what it is that psychiatrists
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has received significant research attention and is a problem that is rarely out of the news - whether it is concerns about treating children with amphetamines, its over- or underdiagnosis, or the long-term outcomes. Fundamental to the discussion are questions about whether the diagnosis of ADHD actually holds water and what it is that psychiatrists are trying to treat. Are differences in the rate of ADHD a reflection of changes in its incidence or in society's tolerance for behaviour that does not conform?