Do you want to hear a rather alarming statistic? As of 2011, the centers for disease control and prevention state that approximately 11% of all children in the United States between 4 and 17 are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). What is even more alarming is that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) state that it really only affects approximately 5% of American children. The diagnosis is also increasing, jumping from 7.8% to 9.5% in only four years.
Big Pharma has a lot to say on the subject. They think that doctors and parent should know that ADHD is a common disorder and that the best way to treat it is medically. This is not a rather common opinion in other countries, as they not only diagnose and define the difficulty differently, they treat it differently as well.
This can clearly be seen in France, because doctors diagnose ADHD in fewer than 0.5% of their patients. They state that it is not a biological disorder but a result of situational and psychosocial factors. The child psychiatrists in France classify the disorder differently. In France, it is known as Classification Française des Troubles Mentaux de L’Enfant et de L’Adolescent (CFTMEA).
The French Federation of Psychiatry is quite different than the APA system in the United States. The CFTMEA is responsible for forcing psychiatrists to look for the underlying issues that can lead to the symptoms that are often diagnosed as ADHD in the United States.
In France, the doctors defined ADHD as a social disorder but in the United States, it is known as a neurological disorder. Since they call it a neurological disorder, they use treatments that affect the chemical balance of the brain.
How Is ADHD Treated in France?
When a child is diagnosed with this disorder in France, doctors begin looking for the underlying issues. Psychiatrists are used to investigate the distress experienced by the child and compare it to the social situations they are experiencing.
In most cases, the issue is treated with psychotherapy or family counseling in France. It is very rare for medication to be prescribed, as they don’t feel it is necessary. In addition, psychiatrists in France also look into diet, including artificial colourings in foods, artificial flavourings, preservatives and poor eating habits. They also look for food allergies and the consumption of sugar.
The number of youths in France with ADHD may be as low as 3.5% according to a 2011 study.
The author of A Disease Called Childhood: Why ADHD Became an American Epidemic said that there are cultural differences between the way that French parents and American parents raise their children.
She says that French parents often stick to a more structured lifestyle, stressing self-discipline and enforcing strict mealtimes.
In addition, spanking is not child abuse in France and it is often used to stimulate discipline. According to the New York Times, “Child abuse is illegal in France and is punished with long prison sentences, but it is not uncommon for French parents to slap or spank children, or for the French courts to view such actions as acceptable under a customary ‘right to discipline.’”
The effects of treatment methods in France of ADHD are likely due to the holistic approach that focuses on diet, behavior and social factors.
In the United States, big Pharma is a key player in defining the treatments for ADHD and in defining the condition itself. In some cases, doctors and researchers have even been compensated for overstating the risks of ADHD and the benefits of using drugs.
Most people look to those doctors as authorities, because the studies are associated with universities, such as John Hopkins or Harvard. The majority of the studies are not even conducted that those universities but are funded by the same companies that make a profit from the sale of drugs.
The medication that is commonly prescribed for ADHD in the United States may have a wide variety of adverse effects. Those drugs are classified in the same groups as oxycodone and morphine because of their high risk of abuse and addiction.
According to Dr. Irwin Savodnik, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California in Los Angeles,
“The very vocabulary of psychiatry is now defined at all levels by the pharmaceutical industry.”
Another issue in the United States are the advertisements for drugs used for the treatment of ADHD. The false claims that are found in those advertisements can influence parents. For example, big Pharma likes to make the claim that ADHD drugs improve test scores and behavior.
As an example, a 2009 commercial showed a child in a monster costume who took off his mask and showed the smiling face underneath.
The FDA has warned big Pharma to remove those advertisements multiple times because they are misleading, false and exaggerate the effects of the drugs. That type of propaganda does not occur in France.
We can learn a lot about the definition of the disorder in France, their CFTMEA and the holistic approach to treating the disorder. French doctors feel that it should not be treated immediately with drugs, because doing so is unethical and could harm the self-esteem of the child.
At times, a child may be emotionally traumatized or may not have an interest in the subject matter. They may also have a heightened sense of creativity or excess energy.
Many American doctors share the view that ADHD should be treated in an alternative way. They do not consider it to be a disorder.
According to the Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and Editor-in-Chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report Daniel J. Carlat, M.D, “In psychiatry, many diseases are treated equally well with medication or therapy, but the guidelines tend to be biased toward medication.”
Moreover, the Holistic Mental Health Practitioner Dr. Tyler Woods additionally claims:
“The DSM tends to pathologize normal behaviors. For instance, the label “Anxiety Disorder” can be given as a result of some kinds of normal and rather healthy anxieties but the DSM will have experts view it and treat it as mental illness.
In addition, simple shyness can be seen and treated as “Social Phobia”, while spirited and strong willed children as “Oppositional Disorder”. Consequently, many psychotherapists, regardless of their theoretical orientations, tend to follow the DSM as instructed.”
Richard Saul, a neurologist, investigates patients who have short attention spans and difficulty focusing. He maintained that ADHD isn’t a disorder but a set of symptoms that should not be considered a disease. He also feels that this should be listed as a separate disorder in psychiatric manuals.
Also, the leading integrative pediatrician and author of ADHD without Drugs: A Guide to the Natural Care of Children with ADHD Dr. Sanford Newmark, M.D. investigated and treated ADHD in a natural way for 15 years.
He felt that conventional medication should only be used as a last resort because of the potential for adverse effects. His methods focused on improved nutrition, supplementation with iron and zinc, family counseling and additional sleep. It also looked to positive behavioral and social changes, and traditional Chinese medicine or homeopathy.
There is a growing number of doctors and other experts who feel that ADHD should not be treated with conventional treatments. The pharmaceutical industry, on the other hand, is guilty of misdiagnosing and over diagnosing ADHD in the United States.
Via: Healthy Food House
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