 VOICES is a Wellcome Trust funded research project based within the BIOS Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science. VOICES brings the perspectives and experiences of children into international debates around rising child psychiatric diagnoses and the increasing use of drugs in child psychiatry. These voices will contribute to an empirical evidence base that will help to inform ethical debate, clinical judgment, and national policy.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common child psychiatric disorder in the world. Estimates of ADHD prevalence amongst school-age children vary within and across world regions. The lowest estimates are reported in Europe (4.6%) and North America (6.2%); and the highest estimates are reported in Africa (8.5%) and South America (11.8%). Approximately 75% of children diagnosed with ADHD are boys.
Methylphenidate, a stimulant drug marketed as Ritalin or Concerta, is the most common form of treatment for ADHD. Methylphenidate consumption is increasing rapidly and significantly in most countries around the world. However, the United States still consumes more methylphenidate than all other countries combined. In 2005, the US consumed 80% of the world’s methylphenidate. Rising consumption of stimulant drugs has motivated considerable public and ethical debate. Ethical concerns have focused on the implications of stimulant drug use for key dimensions of children’s moral identity.
These dimensions include children’s conceptions of...
Personal authenticity (who am I? how am I different from others? can I be myself?)
Autonomy and agency (what can I do? what can I affect? what can I create? what can I become? what can I decide?)
Children’s moral self-evaluations (am I a good person? what do others think of me?)
Also, children’s notions of personal responsibility for behaviors. More broadly, there are concerns that psychotropic medications are being used to enhance children’s cognitive and behavioral performances in a variety of settings. And there are claims that use of these drugs might threaten young people’s right to the vital experiences of childhood.
This research project investigates children’s perspectives on these ethical concepts and concerns. A primary aim of the study is to understand whether children’s perspectives and experiences support claims about the potential harms of stimulant medication. Up to 100 children, ages 9-14, will be interviewed in two national contexts: the US and the UK. Three groups of children will be interviewed: children who are taking stimulants for a diagnosis of ADHD; children who have a diagnosis of ADHD but are unmedicated; and children without a diagnosis of mental disorder.
For further information about this study, please contact using the "Contact us" link above
A PDF document is available about the Voices study. Please click here
Dr Ilina Sing
Wellcome Trust Grant# 080209
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The VOICES study
