ABSTRACT
This chapter examines an analogous process for medicalization, and focuses on the emergence of the diagnosis of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults in the 1990s. It also focuses on key claims and counter-claims made by mental health and medical professionals, as well as lay leaders, support groups, and conferences. The revised diagnostic criteria did not refer to the disorder in adulthood, but opened the door slightly for an expanded definition beyond "adult hyperactives" to "ADHD adults" who had no childhood diagnosis. Clearly a diagnosis of adult ADHD carries with it a certain currency in the public sphere. Adult ADHD offers a clear example of how a medicalized category can expand to include a wider range of troubles within its definition. Genetics is the rising paradigm in medicine and an increasing number of human problems are being attributed to genetic associations, markers, or causes.
