ABSTRACT
On 10 April 2000 viewers of the BBC TV current affairs programme Panorama were informed of an alarming increase in the numbers of children and young people in Britain being diagnosed with Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (ADHD) and prescribed stimulant medication such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) to treat it. UK statistics from the Department of Health (2000) show a staggering increase in the prescription rates for Ritalin during the 1990s. From just 2,000 prescriptions in 1991, the figure had risen to 14,700 by 1995; by 1996 it rose to 47,900 and by 1999 it had reached a remarkable 158,000. These figures do not include prescriptions from private practice, nor do they take account of prescriptions for other psychoactive medications used in the treatment of ADHD such as Dexadrine and Clonadine. Overall it is estimated that some 190,000 children in the UK are being given psychiatric drugs to control their behaviour (Observer, 9 April 2000). Clearly such a dramatic statistical trend warrants closer examination and an understanding of the context of change.
