Hyperactive around the world? The history of ADHD in global perspective
Smith, Matthew (2017) Hyperactive around the world? The history of ADHD in global perspective. Social History of Medicine, 30 (4). 767–787. ISSN 0951-631X (https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hkw127)
Preview |
Text.
Filename: Smith_SHM2016_Hyperactive_around_the_World.pdf
Final Published Version License: Download (165kB)| Preview |
Abstract
A recent study has claimed that the global rate of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is 5.29%. Any variation in such rates in specific studies, argue the authors, was due to methodological problems, rather than differences in the actual distribution of ADHD. Such reports strengthen the flawed notion that ADHD is a universal and essential disorder, found in all human populations across time and place. While it is true that the concept of ADHD has spread from the USA, where it emerged during the late 1950s, to most corners of the globe, such superficial pronouncements mask profound differences in how ADHD has been interpreted in different countries and regions. In this paper, I compare ADHD's emergence in Canada, the UK, Scandinavia, China and India, arguing that, while ADHD can be considered a global phenomenon, behavioural and educational imperfections remain very much a product of local historical, cultural and political factors.
ORCID iDs
Smith, Matthew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9267-2124;-
-
Item type: Article ID code: 58116 Dates: DateEvent30 November 2017Published18 January 2017Published Online29 September 2016AcceptedSubjects: History General and Old World
MedicineDepartment: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > Humanities > History Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 13 Oct 2016 08:38 Last modified: 01 Dec 2024 20:17 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/58116