ABSTRACT
Placing the emphasis upon a deficit in “organisation, regulation, and coherence” puts the condition into line with the functions of the self-object described by Kohut, of soothing, stimulation, and regulation provided by the empathic availability of the carer in childhood, and friends and family throughout life. Whilst attentional deficits may be the feature of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) most observable in psychological testing, the more prominent aspect apparent clinically, and through self-reports and reports from families, is that of dysregulation of emotion and mood; Sobanski and colleagues found 75% of ADHD children and adults showed significant emotional lability. The traditional focus on attentional deficits and hyperactivity, and, indeed, the name itself, might have tended to obscure a perception of the wider dysregulation inherent in ADHD. The role of dysfunction in the frontal lobes has long been suspected of playing a key role in ADHD.
