“Is the Diagnosis of ADHD a ‘Mess?'”
“‘I think the current diagnosis of ADHD is a mess and has been wildly overdone. It blames a variety of symptoms entirely on the child’s brain, and ignores the child’s environment and the interaction with it.” (Dr. William B. Carey, pediatrician, researcher, and medical educator, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)
Going through a pile of articles I have saved (hoarded) for over 20 years, one caught my eye, replete with coffee stains, by Dr. William Carey, the late, renowned professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
While not knowing him personally or having the pleasure of attending his lectures, I have been a behind the scenes fan of Dr. Carey’s
Within the article, “Is ADHD a Valid Disorder,” Dr. Carey raises many important issues that are as relevant today as they were when it was written in the early 1990’s.
Dr. Carey emphasizes that there is no one test or objective instrument to diagnose ADHD (often referred to in more casual terms as “ADD.”)
Typically, in the process of obtaining a diagnosis of ADHD, a parent will identify common characteristics on a rating scale or questionnaire that point in the ADHD direction.
Some of these include:
- “Unable to focus.”
- “Easily distracted.”
- “Difficulty getting started on tasks.”
- “Inconsistent effort & motivation.”
- “Lack of sustained mental effort.”
- “Poorly organized.”
When descriptors like these and a few others have been present for at least 6 months, the scales tilt in the ADHD direction and a diagnosis is typically obtained.
After receiving this diagnosis parents will often report a sense of comfort, feeling that they have, “finally gotten the answer.”
As is my nature, I will push back on this notion of “the answer,” emphasizing that there are many other factors that may not have been understood or addressed, by simply completing the rating scales and reviewing the history.
Just below the coffee stains on my saved article, Dr. Carey noted:
“The assumptions that the ADHD symptoms arise from cerebral malfunction has not been supported even after extensive investigations. The current diagnostic system ignores the probable contributory role of the environment; the problem is supposedly all in the child. The questionnaires most commonly used to diagnose ADHD are highly subjective and impressionistic…The label of ADHD, which is widely thought of as being beneficial, has little practical specificity and may become harmful.”
Wow! Dr. Carey is not mincing words in his taking on the ADHD industry.
Takeaway Point
Don’t be too quick to toss things out. They may come in handy one day (coffee stains and all).
Copyright: Dr. Richard Selznick, http://www.shutdownlearner.com