CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

This chapter focuses on the expansion of ADHD as a childhood behavioral disorder in Argentina, where health and education professionals with distinctive theoretical and therapeutic positions, are sharply debating issues regarding its diagnosis and treatment. Argentina´s scenario has particularities due to, among other factors, the coexistence of approaches from biological psychiatry and psychoanalysis in professionals? practices, and psychoanalysis´ cultural and political influence. As a result of a national scope research, this article exposes data on the core of the current conflict between health approaches: the increasing methylphenidate sales since 1990´s decade, and the more recent distribution of these sales around the country. In fact, psychoanalysis-related professional groups constitute a major resistance to what they call tendencies towards medicalization and pathologization of children. They postulate, on one hand, the iatrogenic effect that stimulants provoke, and on the other hand, consider that using DSM manual for diagnosing mental pathologies on children constitutes a violation to the Argentinean National Law of Mental Health, and to the International Convention of Children Rights. Given this scenario, the article also examines some tensions and articulations among different discipline?s professionals, analyzing how, because of these tensions, diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives are intertwined with children rights perspectives, state-orientated demands and professionals? critical views of its own practices. Finally, and even it?s not possible to delineate a unitary map of the different disciplines´ alignments and organization, the article anticipates some future lines of conflict and resistance in professionals.https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/content/global-perspectives-adhd

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