Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Controversies - Status As A Disorder

Status As A Disorder

The controversy surrounding ADHD involves clinicians, scientists, teachers, policymakers, parents and the media with opinions regarding ADHD ranging from those who do not believe it exists to those who believe that there are genetic and physiological bases for the condition. While the existence of ADHD is generally accepted, controversy exists over the high rates of diagnosis in children and adolescents, the treatment of individuals with ADHD medically, educationally as well as legally and whether treatment should continue into adulthood. The controversies around ADHD have been on-going at least since the 1970s. In the most accepted authority on clinical diagnoses of psychological behavior, the DSM-IV, ADHD is included as a genuine disorder while significant controversy surrounds how it is diagnosed and treated.

Researchers from McMaster University identified five features of ADHD that contribute to its controversial nature:

1. It is a clinical diagnosis for which there are no laboratory or radiological confirmatory tests or specific physical features.
2. Diagnostic criteria have changed frequently.
3. There is no curative treatment, so long-term therapies are required.
4. Therapy often includes stimulant drugs that are thought to have abuse potential.
5. The rates of diagnosis and of treatment substantially differ across countries.