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Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is currently one of the most frequently diagnosed conditions in children and adolescents. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria, ADHD is diagnosed if four conditions are met. First, there must be either a persistent pattern of inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity that occurs more frequently than is typical for the patient's age. Second, some of the symptoms must have been present before the age of seven. Third, the symptoms must be observed in at least two settings, such as at home and at school or work. Finally, clear evidence is required of compromised social, academic, or occupational functioning. The estimated prevalence rate at the age of 6 to 18 years is between two and six percent. There also is a high comorbidity between ADHD and other psychopa-thologies such as depression (see, e.g. Bhardwaj & Goodyer, 2009, p. 178).
Medical treatment has continuously and dramatically increased since the 1990s. All over the world, 10 million children are now treated with amphetamines after having been diagnosed with ADHD, a number that has increased dramatically. In Germany, 34 kg of methylphenidate were sold annually in drug stores in 1993; by 2009, this had risen to 1735 kg, an increase of 5103 percent .
At this time, a heated debate is taking place concerning the explanations and treatments for ADHD in children. The differing positions can be summarized as follows:
ADHD is a primarily genetically determined illness of certain brain regions and functions that can be efficiently treated by medications like methyphenidate
and amphetamines. Environmental factors may play an additional but not a primary role and should be measured “objectively” (as, e.g., the influence of smoking on the embryo and a possible vulnerability to ADHD due to this factor). Although the authors often talk about a “multimodal form of treatment,” medical treatment is at the heart of th