Questioning the Legitimacy of the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Construct

Author

Isabelle J. Weigel-Mohamed, University of WaterlooFollow

Volume

29

Number

1

Department

Dept. of Psychology

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Date

2023

Abstract

This literature review examines 45 journal articles from a variety of disciplines, including genetics, neuropsychology, child and school psychology, evolutionary psychology, clinical psychology, and psychopharmacology. The review features a popular article published in the New York Times; though not a peer-reviewed journal article, it provides evidence of the pervasive social impact of the Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) debate. This review covers articles published between the years 1971 to 2021, with a greater emphasis on articles published after 2013 (over 50% of the review, given that the ADHD construct was reconceptualized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). Overall, this literature review found that ADHD is a dimensional disorder with uncertain etiology. There is evidence to suggest ADHD is over diagnosed and this overdiagnosis is gendered. This review suggests the medicalization of ADHD may be harmful and inaccurate and ADHD may not be an example of a disordered behavior.

Keyword

ADHD; construct validity; medicalization; dimensional disorder; overdiagnosis

Discipline

Psychology

Document Type

article

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Recommended Citation

Weigel-Mohamed, Isabelle J. (2023) "Questioning the Legitimacy of the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Construct," Modern Psychological Studies: Vol. 29: No. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholar.utc.edu/mps/vol29/iss1/7