ADHD expert claims disorder is 'not a real disease' and EVERYONE fits at least two of the criteria used for diagnosis

Dr Bruce Perry says the disorder is 'best thought of as a description'

He claims it's a label describing symptoms of physiological problems

Dr Perry of Texas is due to meet Iain Duncan Smith and Jeremy Hunt



A second world-renowned scientist has come forward to support claims that ADHD is not a real disease, but a description of symptoms.

Dr Bruce Perry said most people displayed signs of the condition at some point in their lives.

He also said psychostimulant drugs, such as Ritalin, used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may have long-term adverse effects.

It comes after US neurologist Dr Richard Saul claimed ADHD did not exist, in a book serialised by the Daily Mail.

Behavioural difficulties: An expert said anyone would fit at least two of the criteria for being diagnosed with ADHD at any time - and that the disorder is 'best thought of as a description' (file picture posed by models)

He said treating children’s hyperactivity with drugs was similar to giving a heart attack patient painkillers – it ignores the cause of the problem, which could be as simple as an iron deficiency.

Dr Perry, a neuroscientist at the ChildTrauma Academy in Houston, Texas, will meet Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith today at a lecture he is giving, hosted by charity the Early Intervention Foundation.

Some 2 to 5 per cent of children are thought to have ADHD. Symptoms include short attention span, restlessness and fidgeting.

Dr Perry said: ‘It is best thought of as a description . . . any one of us at any given time would fit at least a couple of those criteria.’

He said ADHD was a label for a set of symptoms, adding: ‘It’s a description rather than a real disease.’

Medicatin: Prescriptions for stimulant drugs such as Ritalin have increased twofold for children and adolescents in the UK with ADHD, and fourfold in adults between 2003 and 2008

He implied that if you give drugs to children with ADHD, they will need progressively larger doses as they get older to achieve the same effect.

ADHD: WHAT IS THE DISORDER? The NHS Choices website describes the disorder as being 'a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness'. Common symptoms include a short attention span, restlessness or constant fidgeting and being easily distracted, the health service says. Many people with ADHD also have learning difficulties and other problems such as sleep disorders. The condition is normally diagnosed between the ages of three to seven. Potential risk factors include smoking, alcohol or drug abuse during pregnancy, premature birth, and simply being male.

He implied that if you give drugs to children with ADHD, they will need progressively larger doses as they get older to achieve the same effect.

He likened it to children having lots of sweets, or being allowed to take risks. As they grew, they would need more sweet things or greater risks to feel the same pleasurable response.

He said: ‘If you give psychostimulants to animals when they are young, their rewards systems change.

'They require much more stimulation to get the same level of pleasure.’

He added: ‘Taking a medication influences systems in ways we don’t always understand.’

Dr Perry said other therapies, such as yoga or even playing the drums, can be as effective as medication.