An ethnographic study of the ADHD diagnostic process
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An ethnographic exploration of the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnostic process.
IRAS ID
161526
Contact name
Charles Marley
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 0 days
Research summary
The project aims to investigate the process whereby children come to receive a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Traditional psychiatric and psychological research regarding ADHD has been unable to locate genetic, biological or neurological indicators for ADHD. The same literature also highlights that the evidence for the effectiveness of stimulant medication is inconclusive. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of ADHD has continued to rise exponentially. The rising diagnosis in the face of inconclusive research warrants further investigation; however, the project will step outside traditional psychiatric and psychological research by utilising contemporary methods. Specifically, the project will be qualitative in approach and will employ ethnography to provide an in-depth description of the ADHD diagnostic process. The aim will be to understand how diagnosis at a local community level has been influenced by wider historical, social, political and economic factors.
The project will be conducted within NHS Forth Valley Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and Clackmannanshire Council educational establishments. The project will observe ADHD related clinical appointments and interview health and education professionals regarding the ADHD diagnostic process. The project will also analyse various ADHD related documents, including case notes, local ADHD related policies and procedures and relevant national government policies and procedures. Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA) will be used to analyse transcripts of the ADHD clinical appointments, professionals’ interviews, and ADHD related documents to investigate how various large scale social, historical, political and economic factors have shaped our understanding of what can said about and done to children considered to have ADHD.
By investigating the ADHD diagnostic process from the perspective outlined, the project aims to contribute to the development of new theories for the increasing diagnosis rates that lie beyond the existing ideas offered by the current psychiatric and psychological literature.
REC name
South East Scotland REC 02
REC reference
15/SS/0114
Date of REC Opinion
15 Jun 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion