The Dynamics of the Treatment-enhancement Distinction: ADHD as a Case Study

Abstract

This article discusses the dynamics of the treatment-enhancement distinction, and argues that practices that could be labelled ‘enhancement’ can also be understood in terms of medicalisation and ‘disease mongering’. The argument is supported by results from a qualitative empirical study into the experiences and opinions of adults diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Patients are ambivalent about how to understand ADHD: as a disease, a disorder or a normal variation.