Community Knowledge and Beliefs About ADHD

Gilmore, Linda

doi:10.1375/aedp.27.1.20

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(20 reference statements)

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“…The acceptability of drug treatment for ADHD was much lower than for depression (35%) and an almost equal number disagreed outright with such treatment [ 6 ]. While there is evidence that parents of children with ADHD are more likely to be accepting of stimulant treatment [ 8 ], other studies with Australian parents have found that those whose child had been diagnosed with ADHD are more likely to think that too many children are medicated for ADHD and two-thirds also thought that ADHD was over-diagnosed [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Over-diagnosed and over-treated: a survey of Australian public attitudes towards the acceptability of drug treatment for depression and ADHD

2014

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BackgroundOver the last decade the use of psychotropic medications to treat common mental health problems has increased in Australia. This paper explores: 1) public attitudes towards the acceptability of using prescription drugs to treat depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and 2) beliefs about over-diagnosis of depression and ADHD.Method1293 members of the general public were surveyed about their attitudes towards drug treatment for depression and ADHD through the Queensland Social Survey (QSS), an omnibus state-wide survey of households in the state of Queensland. The survey was administered through a CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) system. Logistic regression analyses were used to predict belief that drug treatment is acceptable, and that depression and ADHD are over-diagnosed.ResultsMost participants (60.9%) said that it was acceptable to use prescription drugs to treat depression. In contrast, attitudes towards the use of prescription drugs to treat ADHD were much less positive with around the same proportion saying it was acceptable (42.1%) as unacceptable (38.2%). More than half of the sample agreed that too many people are diagnosed with depression when they don’t really have it (57.7%), and 78.3% of participants agreed that too many children are diagnosed with ADHD when they don’t really have it. Participants who said depression or ADHD were over-diagnosed were less likely to say that it is acceptable to treat these conditions with prescription drugs.ConclusionsDespite increases in prescribing rates there is still considerable scope for increasing the public’s acceptance of treating common mental illnesses with psychotropic drugs. Furthermore, the public’s views on over-diagnosis of depression and ADHD appear to reflect ongoing controversy about the proper identification of these conditions, and these views negatively impact attitudes towards drug treatment. This may be a barrier to effective treatment of these conditions given that drug treatment is often recommended as a first line response.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Over-diagnosed and over-treated: a survey of Australian public attitudes towards the acceptability of drug treatment for depression and ADHD

2014

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“…An earlier study of over 1000 members of the US public found that less than a third would medicate a child with ADHD (McLeod et al, 2004). In a survey of over 600 Australian parents, 77% said they believed ADHD is a genuine disorder but around two-thirds also believed it was over-diagnosed and thought that too many children with ADHD were treated with medication (Gilmore, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent survey found that most Australian parents knew someone with ADHD either through colleagues or friends (40%), or in their own family (28%), but almost a third of parents had no contact with someone with ADHD (Gilmore, 2010). Those with some contact were more likely to think that too many children are medicated for ADHD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public attitudes towards the acceptability of using drugs to treat depression and ADHD

Partridge

Lucke

Hall

2012

Aust N Z J Psychiatry

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Objective: This paper examines public attitudes towards the acceptability of using prescription drugs to treat depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and whether attitudes are influenced by familiarity with the use of pharmacological treatments for these disorders. Method: Participants were 1265 members of the general public aged 18–101 years (50% female) participating in the Queensland Social Survey (QSS), an omnibus state-wide survey of households in the state of Queensland. The survey was administered through a CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) system. Results: Most members of the public thought that the drug treatment of depression was acceptable (55%) but attitudes were much less positive towards the use of drugs to treat ADHD (35.6% acceptable). Regression analyses showed that respondents who knew someone who had received pharmacological treatment for depression were more likely to find it acceptable. However, participants were divided about the acceptability of drug treatment for ADHD regardless of whether they knew someone who had received drug treatment for ADHD or not. Participants with a higher level of education were more likely to find drug treatment for depression and ADHD acceptable. Participants who did not know anyone who had received drug treatment were less likely to have a definite opinion on whether it was acceptable or unacceptable. Conclusions: Attitudes towards the acceptability of the use of prescription drugs are more positive for depression than for ADHD. This may broadly reflect ongoing controversies in the public sphere about the potential over-diagnosis of ADHD or overmedication of children with ADHD. Members of the public who do not know anyone with depression or ADHD may need particular information from prescribers in the event that they (or their child) are diagnosed.

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“…Journal of Data and Information Science et al, 2008;Sciutto, Terjesen, & Frank, 2000). Misconceptions regarding ADHD among healthcare professionals (Julivia Murtani et al, 2020) and society (Gilmore, 2010;Pescosolido et al, 2008) have also been reported, although Twitter itself seems to be overall supportive towards mental illness (Budenz et al, 2020). This lack of understanding from others is often perceived as the most negative thing about having ADHD (Gajaria et al, 2011).…”

Section: Research Papermentioning

confidence: 99%

“My ADHD Hellbrain”: A Twitter Data Science Perspective on a Behavioural Disorder

Thelwall

Makita

Stuart

2020

Journal of Data and Information Science

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PurposeAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common behavioural condition. This article introduces a new data science method, word association thematic analysis, to investigate whether ADHD tweets can give insights into patient concerns and online communication needs.Design/methodology/approachTweets matching “my ADHD” (n=58,893) and 99 other conditions (n=1,341,442) were gathered and two thematic analyses conducted. Analysis 1: A standard thematic analysis of ADHD-related tweets. Analysis 2: A word association thematic analysis of themes unique to ADHD.FindingsThe themes that emerged from the two analyses included people ascribing their brains agency to explain and justify their symptoms and using the concept of neurodivergence for a positive self-image.Research limitationsThis is a single case study and the results may differ for other topics.Practical implicationsHealth professionals should be sensitive to patients’ needs to understand their behaviour, find ways to justify and explain it to others and to be positive about their condition.Originality/valueWord association thematic analysis can give new insights into the (self-reported) patient perspective.

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Community Knowledge and Beliefs About ADHD

Cited by 19 publications

References 37 publications

Over-diagnosed and over-treated: a survey of Australian public attitudes towards the acceptability of drug treatment for depression and ADHD

Over-diagnosed and over-treated: a survey of Australian public attitudes towards the acceptability of drug treatment for depression and ADHD

Public attitudes towards the acceptability of using drugs to treat depression and ADHD

“My ADHD Hellbrain”: A Twitter Data Science Perspective on a Behavioural Disorder

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