ADHD: Positive Or Negative Media Coverage?

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition characterized by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. As the number of children in the U.S. diagnosed with ADHD rapidly increases, it is now common for doctors to attempt to counteract those characteristics by prescribing children stimulant drugs. In fact, approximately 80% of children diagnosed with ADHD take medication to treat their symptoms (Mueller et al. 103). However, there are many different stigmas associated with medicating children with ADHD, usually sparked by a lack of information concerning ADHD and negative media coverage. While the authors discussed in this paper all seem to agree that negative media coverage, pressure from the general

First of all, due to negative media coverage and a lack of overall understanding about ADHD medication, parents who have a child with ADHD face enormous pressure from outside sources that can affect their decision to medicate their child or not. According to Mueller et al., the public tends to base its opinion off of “selective coverage of negative press about ADHD medication [which] contributes to the formation of stigmatizing attitudes toward individuals with ADHD” (Mueller et al. 103). On multiple occasions, the authors claim that negative media coverage increases the pressure parents face from outside sources. The general public reads primarily about the negative side-effects and long-term consequences of ADHD medication, and uses that information to stress their point that prescription drugs should not be used to treat children with ADHD. For example, Ahmed et al. found that the public “blamed the parents for not being able to control their child’s behavior without relying on ‘drugs’” (Ahmed et al. 94). Whereas, some people blame ADHD on a child’s environment and upbringing, leading parents who have a child with ADHD to “feel like a bad parent and thus be more willing to medicate their children” (Simoni et al. 127). Basically, the public forms an opinion based on what they see in the news, then pushes that opinion on parents, influencing the decision parents make on a daily basis over the

Even though academic and social progress is regarded as one of the primary reasons behind medication, one study showed that “by far, ADHD severity had the largest impact on increased odds of taking medication” (Simoni et al. 126). Furthermore, children diagnosed with ADHD from families with a higher socioeconomic status (SES) and who feel obliged to live up to higher standards, are more likely to be medicated with prescription drugs. (Simoni et al. 127). Since stimulant drugs reduce ADHD symptoms and aid those diagnosed to conform to social norms, families with a higher SES will likely choose to medicate their child according to Simoni et al. On the contrary, some parents show concern about the negative side effects of ADHD stimulants or are immediately put off by the negative stigma surrounding them. For instance, side effects such as “appetite suppression, weight loss, and sleep disturbances…contributed to decisions to discontinue treatment” (Ahmed et al. 95). Even though they note that academic process is a reason why parents choose to medicate their child, Ahmed et al. focus on concerns parents have over their child’s health and safety in one part of their study. However, Drexler takes a different approach by citing the Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, which found that “children