Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Valid Medical Condition or Culturally Constructed Myth?

Over the last decade, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses have increased dramatically in the United States. This unprecedented increase in ADHD across America has prompted scholars from various fields to question the scientific validity of this relatively recent childhood disorder. This article openly challenges the definition of ADHD as a legitimate medical condition and presents scientific evidence that corroborates the risks associated with prescribing dangerous and addictive drugs in order to control historically documented childhood behavior. According to published data, ADHD diagnoses have reached epidemic proportions in the United States-particularly among young males. Employing a multifaceted theoretical approach, ADHD typed behaviors will be defined not as a "neurobehavioral disorder," but as highly adaptive strategies that have ensured the survival of hominid species across evolutionary time. Dissenting from the DSM's medical definition of ADHD, this article provides scientific evidence that substantiates the economic and cultural factors that are associated with the ever increasing rates of ADHD diagnoses in America.