The influence of the pharmacological industry on trends in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD

Abstract

The number of people diagnosed with ADHD has increased over the last decennium and so has the proportion of those with this diagnosis who receive biological treatments. This article reveals several ways in which the pharmaceutical industry is involved in these trends. The medicalization process of ADHD is discussed, as well as the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on the popularization of this disorder by advertising and support groups. Besides those influences that have led to an increasing number of diagnoses, it seems that the pharmaceutical industry has also played a role in the treatment process as well. In this connection, there is an unmistakable biological bias in the information provided by websites funded by the pharmaceutical industry as well as in the research of ADHD. A consequence of this is a tendency to biological rather than psychosocial treatment. In all these ways, the pharmaceutical industry influences the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. Scientists as well as practitioners must be aware of those influences in order to avert the danger of misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatments of those who don't really suffer from the disorder.