What is it about?
Different youth describe their experience of being diagnosed with ADHD, and their lives before and after the diagnosis. The study stresses the diversity of the youth, and how some see a meaning in the diagnosis whereas others do not. Some youth described how the diagnosis gave them a meaningful interpretation of issues that they had long been dealing with, whereas others felt that the diagnosis was misplaced.
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Why is it important?
Understanding the personal meaning of an ADHD diagnosis, or the lack of meaning, is central for both professional carers who need to consider how youth with a diagnosis of ADHD see themselves and their diagnosis, and parents and other informal caretakers, who will be better equipped to communicate with youth with ADHD, if they see get a deeper understanding of how the youth see themselves and what the diagnosis does and does not say about them.
Perspectives
Mental health problems are not just targets for pharmacological treatment or therapy. They are also related to how people cope with life, and how they see themselves.
Mr. Morten Hesse
Aarhus Universitet
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Adolescents With ADHD: Experiences of Having an ADHD Diagnosis and Negotiations of Self-Image and Identity, Journal of Attention Disorders, February 2014, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1087054714522513.
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