Attention Deficit: Disorder or Dis-alignment?
Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has become the most commonly diagnosed
psychiatric disorder of childhood, affecting an estimated 3% to 5% of school-aged
children. There are various perspectives on the etiology of ADHD, however, most
ascribe to the medical model when categorizing and describing this disorder. Therefore,
this analysis focuses on those explanations, detailing various possibilities from a
sociological perspective. There are three major points of focus: the role of the American
educational system, the debate surrounding Ritalin consumption, and the cultural
tendency to overlook sociological explanations by the "medicalization" of social issues.
Consequently, as ADHD becomes identified as a biological phenomenon, stimulant
medications are seen as the most viable treatment option. Ritalin is the number one
treatment option for ADHD symptoms. United Nations data indicate that the United
States produces and consumes approximately 85-90% of the world's supply of the drug.
As there is no definitive test for ADHD and no explanation for the etiology of the
disorder, social scientists and other critics are beginning to question whether or not there
is a real disorder. Sociological research suggests that changes in our educational system
and other social institutions, such as the fields of medicine and psychology, would result
in a decrease in the frequency of diagnosis and drug treatment of ADHD.