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Among the most complicated mysteries of the universe and human nature, the question concerning the way in which a human brain or, to be more exact, human nervous system, works seems to be the hardest to answer.
Despite the fact that in the present-day world, a lot of complicated questions in the sphere of medicine have been answered successfully, the question concerning whether a certain specific state should be considered a disorder or merely a specific state of mind, remains open.
Among the above-mentioned states, the phenomenon known as ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, deserves to be mentioned. Because of the fact that most children, as the results of numerous researches show, have ADHD at certain stages of their development, the classification of the phenomenon as a disorder is questioned (Wright, 2012).
Checking the latest research results on ADHD and comparing them to the previous records, one can possibly find out whether ADHD is an actual disorder or merely specifics of most children’s development.
To start with, the key symptoms of the disorder in question must be named. However, even at the very first stage of defining the key features of the disorder, one must admit that the existing descriptions of the symptoms are rather vague. According to the existing evidence, the children with ADHD tend to display such negative qualities as “inattentiveness, forgetfulness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity” (Seitler, 2011, 116).
Likewise, in the case study in question, the patients displayed similar symptoms, as Nelson, Duncan, Peacock and Bui (2012) say. Analyzing the above-mentioned, one must admit that the above-mentioned qualities can be discovered in children of a certain age quite often.
Another essential detail of the case study in question, the background of the patients is rather important for understanding the mechanisms of the phenomenon. According to the research design offered by Nelson, Duncan, Peacock and Bui, the settings of the research and the patients’ background were the following:
“The ADHD Telemedicine Clinic served English- and Spanish-speaking families for a half-day/week while school was in session, with initial intake slots of 90 min” (Nelson, Duncan, Peacock and Bui, 2012, 294).
Hence, it can be concluded that the research was carried out among the children who were under a considerable pressure in school as the representatives of minority, which could have been the reason for the rapidly developing symptoms of the alleged disorder.
As it has been mentioned above, the children who have been observed in the given case study have experienced certain issues which must have had an impact on their development and, therefore, served as the causes of the ADHD phenomenon.
To start with, the children in the case study have very specific background – according to the case, they are all belong to the cultures of the national and social minorities, which makes their process of integration into the society all the harder. According to the case study settings, the children whose behavior was observed came from the English- and Spanish-speaking families with other than American backgrounds.
Since there are still considerable arguments against adding the ADHD to the list of disorders, it is necessary to mention that the symptoms of ADHD as they are not quite as palpable as the ones of, say, influenza. However, when a range of symptoms can be observed at once, there are sufficient reasons to suggest that the case in point is exactly the instance of ADHD.
For instance, according to the case study, “All children presenting to the ADHD clinic had a concern related to the core ADHD symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity” (Nelson, Duncan, Peacock and Bui, 2012, 295). It is necessary to mark that, when observed separately, the above-mentioned phenomena can be considered features of character and a very specific temperament of a child.
When stacked together, however, the given phenomena can be regarded as the symptoms of ADHD. Therefore, the recurrent symptoms make a solid proof for the fact that ADHD can be considered a disorder.
On the other hand, it must be born in mind that, because of the rapid development, on its certain stages, children can display certain anti-social features of character. Therefore, whether the given characteristics should be regarded as symptoms is not clear yet.
In addition, it is necessary to mention that some of the symptoms which the children in the case study displayed could to be considered as the ones of ADHD.
For instance, the fact that “Almost all of the children seen had a co-occurring learning concern, with 95% having some delays or difficulties that were referred back to the school for further evaluation” (Nelson, Duncan, Peacock and Bui, 2012, 295-296) can be viewed as a lack of the general skills that the children of the given age should have.
Hence, the issue can concern the readiness for school learning rather than an ADHD disorder. It is worth mentioning that in certain cases, the disease has been progressing for several years, which busts the myth about ADHD having little impact on people (Fritz, 2000).
It is also worth mentioning, however, that there is no mentioning of the children’s behavior changing over the course of treatment whatsoever in the case study. According to the results of the research, the children displayed certain behavioral issues which were supposed to vanish without a trace after the suggested interventions.
However, as for the changes in the behavioral patterns, the experimental group did not show either the disorder progress in the course of the study; the children seemed to have the same symptoms described above all the way during the research.
Analyzing the short-term goals intervention, one must admit that it addressed the problem in a rather adequate way. To start with, the test for a probable comorbidity was rather appropriate. In addition, the fact that the treatment was split in several sessions was rather wise (Seitler, 2011, 120).
As for the long-term goals, the authors of the case study did a very satisfying job as well. According to what Wheeler (2010) claims, the use of pharmaceutical treatment is also extremely important along with psychological interventions.
However, it is necessary to mention that the discussion of the Ritalin treatment has been going on for years (Breggin & Barkley, 2012), with some of the researchers arguing against the use of the medicine:
“Shockingly, many ADHD/Ritalin advocates… deny the addictiveness of stimulants and show… little concern about making these drugs available to so many children, their families, and their friends” (Bratter, 2007, 4), and some insisting that Ritalin can help children restore the balance within their nervous system fast and efficiently (Seitler, 2011, 118).
As for the research in question, the authors decided to avoid using such medicine as Ritalin and resorted to an elaborated strategy involving school and parents. Hence, the status of ADHD as a disorder becomes even more questionable. It seems that the therapeutic strategy involving the school-based medicine seems to be the most successful solution for the problem.
Since children spend most of their time at school, it is natural to suggest that in the school environment, the results of the treatment will be displayed in the most graphic way. With the strategic modality focused on the children’s school activities, the research was bound to be successful.
Although it is obvious that ADHD can be easily distinguished from a standard behavior; moreover, specific symptoms of ADHD have been spotted, which means that the given phenomenon is a serious health issue which needs to be addressed and treated in a corresponding way, it still cannot be considered a disorder.
Despite the fact that the people with ADHD tend to behave in a non-traditional way which is not appropriate in the society, it is still clear that there is no obvious damage to the psychological state. In other words, the phenomenon related to as ADHD should be considered not as a disease or a disorder, but a specific model of behavior which has been acquired due to certain life circumstances or methods of child upbringing.
Therefore, it can be considered that ADHD should not be classified as a disorder; however, the people with the ADHD syndrome should be provided the appropriate medical interventions as people with a specific condition.
Reference List
Bratter, T. E. (2007). The myth of ADHD and the scandal of Ritalin: helping John Dewey students succeed in medicine – free college preparatory and therapeutic high school. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 27(1): 4-12.
Breggin, P. R. & Barkley, R. A. (2012). Is Ritalin overprescribed? Taking Sides, 5(10), 231-250.
Fritz, G. (2000). The time is right to dispel myths about ADHD. New York, NY: CABL. Nelson, E.-L., Duncan, A. B., Peacock, G. & Bui, T. (2012). Telemedicine and adherence to national guidelines for ADHD evaluation: a case study. Psychological Services, 9(3), 293-297.
Seitler, B. N. (2011). Is ADHD a real neurological disorder or collection of psychosocial symptomatic behaviors? Implications for treatment in case of Randall E. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 10, 116-129.
Wheeler, L. (2010). Critique of the article by Visser and Jehan (2009): ‘ADHD: a scientific fact or a factual opinion? A critique of the veracity of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.’ Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 15(3), 257-267.
Wright, R. H. (2012).Is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) a real disorder? Taking Sides, 5(05), 132-154.
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