By David Webb and Melissa Raven. First published by On Line Opinion, April 6 2010

"[McGorry's] form of early intervention is quite controversial, even among some of his psychiatric colleagues... There is little scientific evidence of the effectiveness of [psychiatric] drugs for prevention."

Since his appointment as Australian of the Year, Professor Patrick McGorry has established a prominent profile in the media, calling for major mental health reform. It is clear that many people, including the Federal Government, are listening to him.

The world’s first long term data review, puublished by the Western Australian Department of Health, argued that "that there is little long-term benefit of stimulant medication in the core symptoms of ADHD."

The report also stated that, where ADHD medications had an effect "... on externalising behaviour and attentional problems ..." the effect "... was in the direction of symptoms worsening with the use of ADHD medication".

Dear Ms Weaver,

I am writing to you regarding your article entitled "Party use of ADHD drugs" and published on Sunday the 8th of February.  I am a psychologist, family mediator and (pending my Australian registration) a lawyer and I work with Youth Affairs Network of Queensland (YANQ), the state's peak youth body.

We have been involved in a campaign over the past 6-7 years to raise public awareness about the overdiagnosis of "ADHD" and the overuse of stimulant medication on children throughout Australia.  Needless to say, we read your article with great interest.

Dear Natasha, 

RE Your report: Research suggests biological base for ADHD

We watched with interest this report which was broadcast on the evening of December 3^rd 2007. Unfortunately we felt it made a number of mistakes that are commonly found in reports of 'new' research into the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Below are the presentation slides used for YANQ's recent presentations in Brisbane (November 28) and the Gold Coast (December 7).

ADHD Workshop Presentation Slides 293.79 Kb.

The booklet which was provided at the workshops is also on our site here. 

By Barry Turner

There are some people that are denying that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder exists. They are accused of being irresponsible, causing the condition to be underdiagnosed and even causing the sufferers of this disease to "unwittingly self medicate with illegal drugs or alcohol". If it were not for the fact that the explosion in ADHD diagnosis and treatment with stimulants such as Ritalin (Methylphenidate) represents the greatest medical catastrophe since Thalidomide these statements would be laughable.

Researchers from the United States recently suggested that medication has no beneficial effects on ADHD sufferers in the long-term and have warn that the medication can lead to stunted growth in a significant number of patients. ABC Radio National's World Today (13 Noember 2007) interviewed Professor William Pelham who has been involved in a national study on ADHD treatment since the 1990s.

You can read the transcript of the World Today story or download and listen to the full interview with Professor Pelham (MP3).

In this article (What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), published in the Journal of Child Neurology, Dr Lydia Furman argues that "the working dogma that ADHD is a disease or neurobehavioral condition does not at this time hold up to scrutiny of evidence".

Read more at the International Centre for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology.

This report is written out a desire to protect children. It is written to advocate for the right of children to grow up with healthy bodies and clear minds. It is written as a plea to celebrate the diversity of children and to view their unique expressions as precious gifts, rather than describing them as “sick” when they don’t conform, obey or please adults.

Queensland Children at Risk 1.43 Mb