Medicalization and Anti-medicalization in Laypersons: The Case of Childhood ADHD
Date Issued
2012
Date
2012
Author(s)
Huang, Man-Ching
Abstract
Background: In Taiwan, the prevalence of Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) ranges from 5% to 12%, broader than those in most of the developed countries. Viewed from a deviant behavior to a diagnostic category, this problem has been controlled under the power of medical interventions, a process designated as “medicalization.” While ADHD has been discussed under the rubric of mediclization which has been driven by the medical professions, hardly has it been examined from lay perspective, particularly lay acceptance and defense against this process of medicalization.
Method: This study mainly applies a qualitative research design. Data were collected by means of in-depth interview from the parents of 20 ADHD children, mainly their mothers, from November 2011 to June 2012. The participants have been recruited through snowballing or referred by various institutions.
Result: The important findings of this study were:
(1) School teacher played critical roles in the process of medicalizing children’s state of ‘deviance,” from as deviance discoverers, medical information providers, medical strategy initiators, to behavioral performance monitors. (2) Parents especially mothers’ willingness to pro-medicalization was intending to control chaos. However, once diagnosis was confirmed, “anti-medicalization” surfaced, either non-adhering to medicinal treatment in dosage and intake schedule or additionally adopting alternative strategies such as other “behavioral interventions” without totally rejecting medical intervention, (3) As far as mothers concerned, what they needed most were social resources, including family and social support, assistance from workplace, and school accommodations, and improve connections and reciprocity between schools and health care system.
Conclusion and suggestion: The best expectation from the mothers who had ADHA children and who accepted medical interventions was to pursue "normalization" through which not only to release their pressure but also to help their children to adapt nowadays school environments. However, it has to be noted that the school and the teachers have become a predominant force in the process of diagnosis and the subsequent treatment of these children. A comprehensive assistance program that links family, school, health care system, and social welfare should be developed to tackle an increasingly prevalent childhood problem like ADHD.
Subjects
ADHD
medicalization
anti- medicalization
health seeking behavior
medical adherence
school teachers
Type
thesis
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