英文摘要 |
For the past twenty years, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD)has been among the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric conditions for children in Taiwan, with the number of diagnoses significantly increasing annually. Instead of pursuing a classic medicalization perspective by viewing this phenomenon as a result of medical professionalism, this study takes a “network of expertise” approach to elucidate (1) the arrangements and conditions necessary for identification, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD; and (2) how this network of expertise, which links various medical professionals, activist parent groups, and drug industries, as well as knowledge, techniques, institutional arrangement, and the national health insurance system, has been assembled in different stages and in different ways. The data used in this study were obtained from archives, participant observation, and interviews with seven(child)psychiatrists, two special educators, and one parental activist. This study traces the dynamic development of this network of expertise in handling children’s perceived over-activity, and examines the process by which child psychiatric knowledge and techniques have become the prevalent framework for understanding and treating children’s behavioral problems in Taiwan. The model for ADHD diagnosis and treatment has gradually shifted from a more comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to a focus on biomedical clinical practices reliant on stimulant medications as the main therapy for children with ADHD. |