An ethical analysis of ADHD patient experiences on diagnostics and pharmacological treatment : a scoping review

Sammanfattning: Introduction Attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome (ADHD) is a neuropsychiatric disorder that is characterized by three core symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The prevalence of ADHD is estimated to be 3-10 %. The number of ADHD diagnosis and prescriptions of central stimulants that are used to treat the disorder have been steadily growing which has led to debates about the diagnostic process and pharmacological treatment. The ethics of the diagnostic process and treatment have been discussed, and it has been pointed out that there’s a lack of knowledge about how the ADHD patients experience the diagnosis and treatment. Aim The aim of this study is to review the existing knowledge of the ADHD patient experiences concerning the diagnosis and the medical treatment, and to examine this knowledge in the light of medical ethics. Method This is a scoping review. Eight studies were included in this study. The inclusion criteria were that the participants of the studies were interviewed by using semi-structured interviews, both genders were included, and that the interviews covered both diagnosis and medical treatment. Material was analysed by using qualitative content analysis. Results Four main themes emerged from the material: access, diagnosis, treatment, and impairment. All the main themes include several sub-categories. Conclusion In the light of the principles of biomedical ethics the diagnostic process and the treatment measures of ADHD are not ethically trouble-free. Studying the patient experiences does evoke ethical question of patients’ autonomy and the justification of distribution of needed services.