Suchergebnisse

The contemporary conceptualization of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as a complex, multifactorial neurodevelopmental disorder cannot be understood as such without a complex assemblage of political, economic, and cultural processes that deem the conceptualization to be valuable and useful. In this article we use the notion of psychiatrization as a lens through which to see parts of these processes that make up ADHD what it is. In the first part of the article, we critically assess the scientific basis of the ADHD diagnosis via examining its diagnostic criteria as presented in the current fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the so called "Bible" of modern psychiatry. The second part of the article asks what is done with the ADHD diagnostic entity and with the idea that it represents a natural neurodevelopmental state within an individual—something an individual has—as represented in the DSM-5. Drawn from our previous research, we analyze how ADHD becomes real in discourse practice as a powerful semiotic mediator through analysis of the various functions and forms in which it takes shape in institutional, social, and individual levels. We conclude that the frequent changes in the diagnostic criteria of ADHD do not reflect any real scientific progress. Among other reasons, they change to match better the maneuvers of individuals when navigating an increasingly psychiatrized society in the search for recognition, support, category membership, immunity, sympathy, and sense of belonging.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a controversial phenomenon and the link between schooling and the burgeoning occurrence of ADHD diagnoses is problematic. This paper contributes to the discussion regarding the issue by providing a literature review of the evidence on the influence of relative age effect (RAE) on being diagnosed with ADHD. Firstly, the review presents a general cross-national trend for a positive association between relative age and the probability of being diagnosed with ADHD compared to peers, thus showing that the younger-in-class children are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. Secondly, this paper outlines and discusses the suggested explanations of the phenomenon as depicted in the reviewed literature. Finally, the paper proceeds to provide alternative frameworks for the explanation of the RAE on ADHD diagnosis that go beyond individual psychopathology and instead take into account the broader social, cultural and political contexts in which the phenomenon takes place. ; Peer reviewed

In recent years Finland has witnessed a substantial amount of public debate and concern about vulnerability, well-being, mental-health problems, and anxiety among young people from various backgrounds. In accordance with the ethos of vulnerability and neoliberalism, people are supposed to become employable, resilient, and entrepreneurial, choosing education based on their expected individual needs and what they wish eventually to achieve in life. The focus in this article is on the ethos of vulnerability, and particularly on the cultivation of a vulnerable subjectivity through therapeutically and psychologically oriented knowledge in the neoliberal politics. It is based on individually and jointly produced data from various youth support systems in Finland, and on discussions with young people considered to be vulnerable or 'at risk' who are involved in these systems. We argue that both the therapeutic culture and neoliberal politics legitimise and accelerate cultivation of vulnerability while dismissing social expectations and pressure targeted on young people. Vulnerable subjectivity is strengthened by various types of specialists who claim that the self can achieve a better and more satisfying life through the application of psychologically and therapeutically engineered knowledge and professional skills. ; Peer reviewed