ADHD in France: the experience of families

Abstract

The "agitation" of the child, the impulsiveness and attention problems are, in most of the cases, classified as symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), whose frequent treatment is the prescription of methylphenidate. Since the 1990s, especially in the United States and Brazil, the consumption of this molecule has grown exponentially. In France the use of this substance is still limited and the number of patients for whom it is prescribed is well below the universe of subjects diagnosed with ADHD. In recent years, however, there has been a rapid growth in sales of methylphenidate and the strengthening of the biomedical vision of the problems of hyperactivity and attention. The aim of this article is to analyze the experience of French families in the diagnosis and prescription of methylphenidate. This reflection is based on a postdoctoral research entitled "The medicalization of learning difficulties in school: a comparison between Brazil and France". Between the effects of exculpabilization and the concerns related to the administration of methylphenidate, the families interviewed reveal the controversies and paradoxes of the effects of the diagnosis of ADHD in France.