建構童年異常：新聞媒體中的兒童過動症及其轉變   全文下載

The Construction of ADHD and Its Transformation in the News

本研究追溯兒童過動症在台灣新聞媒體中的建構及其轉變，以揭示媒體與醫療之間的獨特關係，並豐富我們對於過動症在本地脈絡中如何被醫療化的理解。過動症作為偏差行為醫療化的經典社會學案例，同時又是盛行率最高的兒童精神疾病，其病因學、疾患本質、診斷與治療策略迄今仍存在科學醫學與社會倫理的辯論。新聞媒體對於疾病成因、治療建議，以及相關批評與異議的呈現方式，可能影響民眾對於兒童過動狀態的定義，導向相應的行動決策，從而形塑特定的價值與支配關係。本研究根據內容分析方法來分析聯合知識庫建置以來對兒童過動的相關報導，發現兒童的過動問題一開始就以生物醫學模式來解釋，在處遇建議上則呈現從行為治療轉向藥物治療的明確趨勢。這種呈現方式及其演變，不但推進了兒童過動症在台灣社會當中的生物醫療化，也鞏固了精神醫學對於兒童過動行為的詮釋權與處遇模式。然而，與興奮劑藥物相關的爭議從來未曾消音，也留下空間給其他專業競逐替代性的病因解釋與治療策略。

This study analyzes the construction of Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in the news media in Taiwan. ADHD, as a psychiatric disorder with the highest prevalence among children, is a classic sociological case in the medicalization of deviance. However, its etiology, nature, diagnosis, and therapeutic regimens remain controversial. Therefore, it is important to explore the representation of ADHD in the mainstream newspapers because it shapes how readers understand and respond to children’s behavior, and also consolidates specific values and dominant relationships. This study employs a content analysis to reveal the construction of ADHD and its transformation in the online UDNdata. Results show that the psychiatrists have had the authority of defining children’s hyperactive behaviors as ADHD. The etiology of ADHD was initially defined with a biomedical model, but the preference for the treatment shifted from behavioral modification to medication as clinically prescribed. Additional controversies regarding stimulant medications also emerged. Therefore, other medical specialties, in addition to psychiatry, could provide alternative etiological interpretations and treatment regimens.