Why has ADHD emerged as a problem in just the last 20 years?
ADHD has probably existed in the human population for thousands of years, and indeed may have conferred some evolutionary advantage. It was first described in the scientific literature about a century ago. Prior to the understanding that some people have an inherent fault in their ability to direct their attention at will, sufferers were simply labelled as ‘lazy’ or ‘stupid’. The current diagnostic labels recognise that the problems suffered by these individuals are not due to a moral failing on their part, but are due to a physically based condition over which they have no control. Diagnosis in psychiatry is a continually evolving skill. It is to be expected that as knowledge is enhanced by research, there will be further improvements in our understanding of the condition that we currently know as ADHD. Over the last twenty years, everyone’s lifestyle and school expectations have changed dramatically. We spend more hours in front of TV and computer screens, are less physically active,
