Experiences and Explanations of ADHD

Mikka Nielsen is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Health Research in the Humanities, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Preface, Acknowledgements, 1. Introduction, Aim of the book, A diagnosis of our time, An anthropological approach to ADHD, Clarifying concepts: ADHD as experience and diagnostic category, Structure of the book, 2. An old disorder or a recent product of medicalization? , A story of ADHD as an ever-present disorder, The incapacity of necessary attention, Children suffer from immortality, Minimal brain damage and anti-school behaviour, A question of neurology: the rise of medical treatment, The DSM era, A one-sided story of ADHD, A critical explanation of ADHD, Medicalization of society, Social, political, and cultural factors behind the emergence of ADHD, Ritalin on the market, Diagnosing adults with ADHD, Concluding remarks, 3. What is a diagnosis? , Diagnostic criteria and clinical guidelines, What is diagnosis for?, Creating mental illness, Putting a name to it, Living in a diagnostic culture, A neurochemical era, A shift in thinking about the human being, The self in medical terms, Concluding remarks, 4. Experiences and implications of getting an ADHD diagnosis, The explanatory force of a diagnosis and questions of responsibility, Restructuring narratives and self-perceptions, Evaluating yourself and considering new questions, Restructuring practices and crafting skills, Ambivalence towards the diagnosis, Taking medication and experimenting with experiences, A moral concern: becoming the person you want to be, Concluding remarks, 5. Explaining and making use of an ADHD diagnosis , Dynamics between explanations and experiences, Identifying with ADHD, Distancing from ADHD, Explanations of ADHD and expectations of treatment, Having or being ADHD?, Concluding remarks, 6. ADHD as a temporal phenomenon , Studying rhythms and experiences of time, The rhythms of the body, When the world is at a different pace, Social synchronization: trying to keep up but lagging behind, Developing time-work strategies, Is society catching up on ADHD, Concluding remarks, 7. Conclusion, Becoming someone with ADHD, Explanatory models of ADHD, ADHD as a relational phenomenon, Avenues for future research, Implications and recommendations for practice, Index