The ADHD Debate

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The topic of ADHD has been a controversial topic for many years. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that around three to five percent of school children are affected by Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD). Although there is a large amount of scientific information surrounding the existence of ADHD, there are still many critics. The main question has been is ADHD a real disorder, or is it an excuse for inappropriate behavior. The first article is for the pro-ADHD debate. This article was written by the National Institute of Mental Health. This is a group typically known to set the standard in mental healthcare. The article began by talking about the medical definition of ADHD. The definition of ADHD is a condition that …show more content…
The NIMH article states that scientist are continuing to find more clues pointing to a genetic link to ADHD. A study was conducted through NIMH and it indicated that on average 25% of diagnosed children also had close relatives with the disorder. There is also various information that indicates that children medicated for ADHD showed similar brain images than unmedicated children. These all show solid proof that ADHD has a true cause and is not being made up. The article against ADHD states that there are no biological pieces of evidence to prove the existence of ADHD. The article also states that ADHD has been created by a tradition of medical and psychological research. This statement is clearly not true, based on the previously stated scientific …show more content…
The article against ADHD states that the pharmaceutical industry is strongly behind medicating ADHD patients. The article even goes as far as stating that the National Institute of Mental Health is included in the encouragement to unnecessarily medicating children. The National Institute of Mental Health has conducted many tests and studies on various treatment options. One of these studies was the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This study tested children on their reactions to various kinds of ADHD treatment including medication management, behavioral treatment, a combination of both, or routine community care. This study showed that the combination treatment and the medication treatment were far superior to behavioral therapy alone or general wellness visits. This is evidence proving that medications are a true way to manage ADHD. There is also no strong evidence that the type of medication being used, stimulant, cause drug abuse of drug dependence. This is a vital detail for the issue of possible side effects. The article against ADHD does not discuss in great detail the evidence of concerning side effects from stimulant drugs. The NIMH states that although there may be some minor side effects, they often can be corrected by changing medicine doses. The NIMH is very open about stating that the medicine is not meant to cure the ADHD, it is purely
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