ADHD

Paper Summary:

This paper examines different reasons behind the spike in ADHD diagnosis. The paper discusses if there are really more incidences of ADHD in recent years or if the disease is just used as a scapegoat and is a symptom of the increasing medicalization prevalent in American society. The paper looks at both physiological factors, such as genetics and chemical imbalances, and environmental and cultural factors that could contribute to the increasing diagnosis.

From the Paper:

"Other studies, however, challenge the idea that ADHD is purely physiological in nature. Proponents of the idea that ADHD is exacerbated by environmental factors also find support in the same studies. For example, Cutting et al (2003) also observed a gender-based difference among the results of all participants, whether ADHD group or control group. The girls consistently scored higher in memory and recall, a fact that could be influenced by cultural expectations encouraging females to engage in more contemplative and verbal tasks. Cutting et al (2003) argued that the higher scores of girls could partially be explained by the more effective study skills that girls exhibit, such as clustering and word organization."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Breznitz, Zvia. 2003. "The Speech and Vocalization Patterns of Boys With ADHD Compared With Boys With Dyslexia and Boys Without Learning Disabilities." Journal of Genetic Psychology. December. PscychInfo Database
• Carey, Timothy and Thomas Bourbon. 2006. "Is Countercontrol the Key to Understanding Chronic Behavior Problems? Intervention in School and Clinic. 42(1): 5-14
• Cutting, Laurie et al. 2003. "Evidence for Unexpected Weaknesses in Learning in Children with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder Without Reading Disabilities." Journal of Learning Disabilities. May/June.
• Kalff, A. et al. 2003. "Low- and high-level controlled processing in executive motor control tasks in 5-6-year-old children at risk of ADHD." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. October. PsychInfo Database.
• Levin-Epstein, Michael. 2006. "A new way to deliver psychiatric meds." Behavioral Healthcare. 26(8): 22-24

More papers on ADHD:

• Essay # 90989 : "ADHD"
• Term Paper # 107104 : "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD)"
• Dissertation or Thesis # 92847 : "Causes of ADHD"
• Research Paper # 70334 : "ADHD"

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