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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Dictating the boundaries of ab/normality: a critical discourse analysis of the diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and hyperkinetic disorder
Juho HonkasiltaJustin E. Freedmansubject
Health (social science)Cultural knowledgeHyperkinetic DisorderStatus quomedia_common.quotation_subjectAttention Deficit Hyperactivity HisorderDevelopmental psychologyCritical discourse analysismedicineADHDAttention deficit hyperactivity disorderta5160501 psychology and cognitive sciencesta611ta515Normalitymedia_commonclinical manualsMentally ill05 social sciences050301 educationGeneral Social Sciencesta5142critical discourse analysismedicine.diseaseta3124Hyperkinetic disorderGeneral Health ProfessionsPsychology0503 education050104 developmental & child psychologydescription
In this article we report the findings of a critical discourse analysis of the diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and hyperkinetic disorder (HD) in two clinical manuals – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition and International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition. We examine the actions (behaviors) that are said to indicate the presence of ADHD/HD and analyze what the inclusion of these actions reveals about the relationship between ADHD/HD, cultural knowledge, and values. Our analysis reveals that both manuals use subjective, value-laden language to construct a mentally ill individual in opposition to an unseen, supposedly ‘normal’ person. We argue that the current criteria draw into question whether ADHD/HD meets the manuals’ own definitions of a disorder, and further that the discourse of the manuals is intertwined with the everyday practices of schools and serve to legitimize status quo educational practices. peerReviewed
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-17 | Disability & Society |