According to a recent survey by Parents Magazine and New York’s Child Mind Institute, a treatment centre for children with mental health, more than a third of parents claimed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) had more to do with slack parenting than a genuine medical condition. Ouch.
Many of parents quizzed also felt that 'normal' kids were being misdiagnosed "because their teachers can't handle them," and medicated too readily by doctors. A minority blamed the diagnosis on “insufficient or absent parenting” by single parents.
Although 13 percent of parents believe that ADHD is merely a behavioural condition that needs to be "corrected with discipline,” 96 percent would expect their own pediatrician to flag potential psychiatric or learning problems in their kids.
"Stigma, lack of awareness, and fear around mental health care prevent many parents and teachers from getting kids the support they need," said Dr. Harold Koplewicz, a physician and the president of the Child Mind Institute.
This at a time when the Canadian government recognizes the need to ramp up its mental illness mandate.
Is ADHD a result of poor parenting skills or a genuine medical condition?
Printer-friendly version