Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Analysis Too Much Medicine

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: are we helping or harming?

BMJ 2013; 347 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6172 (Published 05 November 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f6172

Rapid Response:

Re: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: are we helping or harming?

I think this publication is a well-balanced overview of the current state of affairs. As mentioned, overdiagnosis is becoming an disorder in itself. However I feel that too much emphasis is put on the impairments of ADHD. The reality is that ADHD can be a strength - if managed properly. This should be the focus in treatment, in contrast to current methods that inhibit personality development (and focus on the negatives).

I agree with prior responders in that the psychiatric status-quo is walking a dangerous path and are themselves becoming the epitome of 'conflict of interest'. As a result, they are undermining their own credibility. Big Pharma is playing a dangerous game with public mental health. This not just affects a selected few, but will affect a substantial part of the population (1 out of 10 is not insignificant).

I find the mass drugging of our children a frightening premise. Since the community has little longitudinal data on long-term effects, how dare they assume that such effects won't be detrimental? We don't know yet how current pathology affects brains, not to think of patients' mental dispair or even suicide. We don't know yet if sustained medications impacts our genes and offspring. And how does our ecosystem process drugged wastewater in the long run?

Why has natural selection allowed ADHD to occur for such a long time and why has it just recently become such a big problem?

Competing interests: I am editor at Selfdestination, a website that promotes sensible development based on innner strenght. I have recently written an article instigated by this publication.

08 November 2013
Steven J. van Ostaayen
Editor / Publisher
Nexilim
Zijlstraat 7a, 4811RZ, Breda, The Netherlands