Mental Health and Illness Around the World

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In some countries, the very fact of the disorder existence is called into question. For example, completely different approach to the issue of ADHD is observed in Russia and other CIS countries (Thome, Ehis, Fallgatter, Krauel, et. al., 2012). Sometimes educators and parents do not suspect that symptoms of ADHD appeared in some children. In other words, the development of ADHD is being neglected. As a result, it is believed that children are hyperactive and inattentive due to poor parental or pedagogical upbringing rather than the impact of the disorder. Adults usually feel guilty because they consider themselves worthless fosterers instead of recognizing the appearance of the disorder in children and start the treatment. In some cases, parents may consider impulsiveness and inability to observe rules as a sign of the outstanding abilities of a child.

American and Canadian specialists diagnose ADHD using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) classification. In Europe, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) with more stringent criteria is adopted. In Russia, the diagnosis is based on the criteria for the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and is also based on the DSM-IV classification. According to statistics, children diagnosed with ADHD are about 10% in Russia; in the United States – 20%, in the United Kingdom – 3%, in Italy – 6%, in China – 9%, in Australia – 7% (Thome, Ehis, Fallgatter, Krauel, et. al., 2012). Boys diagnosed with ADHD are 9 times more than girls. More than half of children who had ADHD in childhood continue to suffer from it at a later age (Fallesen & Wildman, 2015).

In the United States and European countries, Ritalin is used to treat ADHD, which is forbidden in Russia. In this country, nootropic drugs that improve brain function, metabolism and enhance the tone of the cerebral cortex are prescribed for patients with ADHD. The treatment of ADHD with the help of medications is used only in the cases when the problem cannot be solved with the help of non-drug interventions. Behavioral psychotherapy focuses on patterns of behavior and shapes them in accordance with the social norms through the incentives and punishments. Family psychotherapy forms the personality of a child and determines the activity in which the negative qualities (e.g. aggressiveness, hyperactivity, and talkativeness) can be engaged (Fallesen & Wildman, 2015).

ADHD and the methods of treatment have been stirring active debates since the 1970s of the last century. Some believe that ADHD is a myth, while others convinced that there are both genetic and physiological prerequisites for this disorder. Doctors of different scientific schools have diametrically opposite approaches. Some argue that ADHD is a serious disorder and it must be treated with the amphetamines, others insist that it is a consequence of poor upbringing and children should be educated rather than treated. However, the negligence of treatment may have serious consequences in adulthood. Adults with this disorder have problems realizing themselves in life. Patients who had not received help at the right time are more likely to addictions and often come into conflict with the law.

Reference

Fallesen, P., & Wildman, Ch. (2015). The effect of medical treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on foster Care Caseloads: evidence from Danish registry Data. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 56 (3), 398-414.

Hoseini, B. L., Abbasi, M. A., Moghaddam, H. T., Khademi, G., & Saeidi, M. (2014). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children: a short review and literature. International Journal of Pediatrics, 2 (4), 445-452.

Sue, D., Sue, D. W., Sue, D., & Sue, S. (2013). Understanding abnormal behavior (10th ed.). California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Thome, J., Ehis, A., Fallgatter, J., Krauel, K., et. al. (2012). Biomarkers for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A consensus report of the WFSBP task force on biological markers and the World Federation of ADHD. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 13, 379-400.