Children with ADHD find medication frees them to choose between right and wrong, study suggests
The ADHD VOICES -- Voices on Identity, Childhood, Ethics and Stimulants - - study has worked with 151 families in the UK and the USA to examine ethical and societal issues surrounding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), particularly the use of treatments such as methylphenidate (Ritalin). The project has been led by biomedical ethicist Dr Ilina Singh from King's College London and was funded by the Wellcome Trust. Dr Singh and colleagues interviewed children and their families about ADHD, behaviour, medication and identity across four contexts: home, school, the doctor's office and peer groups. The report is intended not only to highlight ethical and social issues surrounding ADHD but also to help families, doctors, teachers and the children themselves to understand from a child's perspective what it is like to live with ADHD. "ADHD is a very emotive subject, which inspires passionate debate. Everyone seems to have an opinion about the condition, ...