“Because You’re Worth It”: A Discourse Analysis of the Gendered Rhetoric of the ADHD Woman

Winter, H. G.; Speed, Ewen

doi:10.1080/14780887.2015.1050748

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The use of the word “severe” makes the reader observe characteristic differences between the normal and the abnormal child. The definition of abnormal behaviors is, however, a result of social decision-making, and a sharp line between normal and abnormal behaviors is illusory as pointed out by Börjesson ( 1999 ) and Winter et al ( 2015 ). Nevertheless, attempts to engage the reader in a critical debate about what constitutes “severe” behaviors are lacking in the analysed document.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A discursive analysis concerning information on “ADHD” presented to parents by the National Institute of Mental Health (USA)

Erlandsson

Lundin

Punzi

2016

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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A discourse analysis was performed based on an online document under the headline: “What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD)?” published by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), USA. Three parts of the document were analysed: (1) The introductory part, as this sets the tone of the whole text. (2) Parts of the text that were specifically addressed to parents. (3) Etiology and pathology of “ADHD” with reference to a number of different symptoms and behaviors. Inattention and hyperactivity are presented in the document as a floating spectrum of symptoms caused by “ADHD.” Other factors of importance for children's development, that is, early attachment, close relationships, previous experiences, culture, and contexts are ignored. Children who are perceived as inattentive and hyperactive are portrayed as having inherent difficulties with no reference to their emotions or efforts to communicate. The child is viewed as suffering from a lifelong disorder that might not be cured but controlled by a diagnosis and subsequent medication. Parents are advised to control their child's behavior and to strive for early diagnosis in order to receive treatment provided by experts. Those who are presented as experts rely on a biomedical model, and in the document, detailed descriptions of medication to correct the undesired behaviors are provided. The value of judgment in the assessment of different symptoms and behaviors that signifies “ADHD” is absent, rather taken-for-granted beliefs were identified throughout the document. A heterogeneous set of behaviors is solely described as a disorder and hereafter it is stressed that the same behaviors are caused by the disorder. In this manner, cause and effects of “ADHD” are intertwined through circular argumentation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Winter, Moncrieff, and Speed ( 2015 ) performed a discourse analysis of how “ADHD” was depicted on YouTube by women who had received the diagnosis. Their analysis showed how the women positioned themselves in the biomedical discourse and even promoted the “ADHD” diagnosis.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A discursive analysis concerning information on “ADHD” presented to parents by the National Institute of Mental Health (USA)

Erlandsson

Lundin

Punzi

2016

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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“…These adults reported having developed more positive self-perceptions, less self-blame, and more self-forgiving attitudes toward themselves after being diagnosed. Winter et al (2015) similarly found that women diagnosed with ADHD optimistically proposed on YouTube that ADHD enabled them to live more productive lives and that medication maximized their potential.…”

Section: Socially Accepted Identitymentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Once diagnosed, these adults narrated the ability to reconstruct their perceptions to create a more coherent and comprehensible view of their difficulties in the past and in the present. In a study by Winter, Moncrieff, and Speed (2015) women diagnosed with ADHD positioned themselves on YouTube in the medical discourse by using vocabulary adapted from the medical discourse when describing themselves.…”

Section: Sense Of Coherencementioning

confidence: 99%

Parental narratives online about ADHD

Lundin

2020

Social Work in Mental Health

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Contemporary parents turn to social media to discuss parental issues. The aim of the present study was to analyze 198 posts on online discussion forums posted by parents whose adolescents had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or who suspected that their adolescent would meet the diagnostic criteria for an ADHD diagnose. Narrative thematic method was used to explore whether parents used a medical discourse for making meaning of their adolescents' behaviors. The results showed that parental narratives were predominantly influenced by the medical discourse where adherence to the neurobiological framework provided a sense of coherence that guided parents' meaning-making of adolescent hardship. Parents used an ADHD diagnosis to reconstruct the personal narrative of the adolescent into a more socially accepted identity. Additionally, parents envisioned a dark future if ADHD went undetected, leading parents to engage in intense battles to obtain diagnoses. Narrators in the present study viewed a responsible parent as a parent who would fight for the right to an ADHD diagnosis and medication on behalf of the adolescent. Social workers should be aware of that parents may on online discussion forums encourage each other to interpret adolescent development within a medical framework.

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“…Based on their findings the researchers concluded that the media provides an unobjectionable view of the medicalization of child behavior. As medical prescriptions for ADHD are found to be disproportionally high in socioeconomic disadvantaged areas (Harwood, 2010; Watson, Arcona, Antonuccio, & Healy, 2014), a broader discussion in the media on the medicalization and the diagnosis of ADHD should be encouraged (Gonon, Konsman, Cohen, & Boraud, 2012; Winter, Moncrieff, & Speed, 2015). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%