Attention Deficit Disorder: Fact Or Fiction?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD ), with or without hyperactivity, is perhaps one of the most controversial conditions of our time. Probably, the heterogeneity of the syndrome causes many problem children to be diagnosed with this pathology.
The lack of specific criteria does not help the scientific community to establish a certain diagnosis. Current therapies do not guarantee the recovery of patients because the origins or causes of the disorder are not yet clear.
Treatments to treat symptoms, based on the use of methamphetamines and drugs called stimulants such as Ritalin, end up being palliatives. So we ask ourselves: “Is ADHD a reality or an invention?”.
Historical Evolution of Attention Deficit Disorder: From Reality to Myth
History of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
To find the origins of disease studies, we have to go back to the first half of the 20th century. Around that time, members of the scientific community began to describe and classify this pathology.
Children who had difficulty concentrating and who showed restlessness, irritability and impulsiveness were considered to be affected by this disease. They called it mild-to-minimal brain dysfunction or post-brain syndrome, although none of them had ever suffered from encephalitis.
The first appearance of ADHD in the MSD
It was in 1968 that the designation “Attention Deficit Disorder” first appeared in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (MSD) as a child hyperkinetic behavior syndrome (or hyperkinetic reaction of childhood). It was possible to include this disorder in the manual thanks to Leon Eisenberg, an American doctor who specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry. Eisenberg convinced the scientific community and the whole world that there was a genetic origin for the symptoms described.
Many years later, in 2009, he denied this claim in an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel. Furthermore, given the number of cases detected, he stressed that an excessive number of diagnoses of the disease had been made over the years.
Changes in the definition of the disease
In the 1980s, the condition appeared in DSM-II as “Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity”. Only at the end of the 90s, the three current subtypes will be identified: combined, with inattention and hyperactive-impulsive.
Over the course of the century, the concept of ADHD has undergone many changes and not always in the same direction. For example, hyperactivity has not always been associated with Attention Deficit Disorder.
This makes ADHD a disease that includes various childhood, adolescent and adult psychiatric diseases which require extensive medical expertise to be properly diagnosed.
Scientific evidence for the existence of ADHD
Professor Marino Pérez Álvarez is a specialist in psychopathology and intervention techniques at the University of Oviedo and co-author of “ The return to normality: the invention of ADHD and childhood bipolar disorder ”.
This book, full of references and scientific evidence, debunks the theories of Attention Deficit Disorder. One of the proofs is the absence of a brain biomarker that demonstrates the existence of the disease.
The author highlights what Eisenberg himself, discoverer of ADHD, recognized in an interview before his death: the difficulty of recognizing the pathology and an over-diagnosis that concerned children. According to his book, the set of ADHD symptoms responds more to a behavioral problem than to a clinical picture.
Furthermore, Marino Pérez Álvarez highlights the fact that pharmaceutical companies have created a very profitable business around the affected families. It is estimated that in 2017 alone, the leading pharmaceutical company that produces drugs to combat ADHD, had a turnover of about 1,200 million dollars.
So, is ADHD a real disease?
It is impossible to answer this question. As parents, we should ask ourselves, especially given the high incidence of the disease among the infant population. For example, in Spain, it is estimated that five out of a hundred children suffer from this disease, and the number tends to increase.
The various associations that deal with monitoring Attention Deficit Disorder, claim that it is a neurological disease caused by an imbalance of two neurotransmitters: noradrenaline and dopamine. Both would directly affect the areas of the brain responsible for self-control and inhibition of inappropriate behavior.
Perhaps, the scientific community needs more time to prove that it is a real disease and not a fiction. These are hard times for those who want to live peacefully. Our rhythms of life are stressful and it is increasingly difficult to reconcile work and private life.
All of this prevents us from dedicating more time to our children. If you suspect your child may be having problems, do not hesitate to consult a professional.
