By medicalising our experiences, we are numbing ourselves to life
The news that private clinics may be prescribing powerful ADHD drugs without proper diagnoses will have come as no surprise to any GP working in the UK. The lengthy waiting times for NHS assessments – four years in my area – has allowed private providers to capitalise on the burgeoning market for mental health provision.
The insatiable trend for medicalising everyday experiences appears to have left many people believing that being disorganised, easily distracted or irritable could mean they have an underlying diagnosis that must be identified if they are to lead a fulfilling and successful life. Patients worried about issues ranging from anxiety to relationship breakdowns present to the health service seeking answers.
In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 9.8 per cent of children aged between three and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. If we are headed in the same direction, it will soon be unusual to find any school classes without at least one child diagnosed.
It is true that autism and ADHD can be debilitating conditions. Awareness and understanding of neurodiversity is to be welcomed, and it is good that support is being provided where needed.
But the NHS’S provision of mental health services is under extreme strain, and many of my worst affected patients struggle to get help. So it is deeply concerning to see a shift towards a potential overdiagnosis of such conditions. In particular, the idea that more people should be prescribed stimulant drugs – most commonly methylphenidate, which is classed as a controlled drug because of the risk it may be abused – is troubling. Alarmingly, NHS England’s prescribing protocol says: “The safety and efficacy of long-term methylphenidate use has not been systematically evaluated in controlled trials.”
It seems at times that every human experience has been neatly labelled and categorised a “condition” or “syndrome”. Patients say they want to know why they’ve found life difficult; it can be hard to explain that a formal diagnosis may not help, and could make things worse if inappropriate drugs are prescribed. It is essential that doctors do not feel obligated to provide formal medical categorisation of every emotion.
This is just as true in the private sector. An NHS under strain may not have the capacity to review the millions of patients who believe they are affected. If we accept the NHS in its current form, we must also accept that people will go to private clinics.
But this could create greater workloads for NHS GPS who may be required to provide additional care. It can also mean fewer workers for the economy.
The number of people claiming sickness benefits is soaring, alongside the bill. to pay for them. Mental health issues were the single largest complaint behind new claims early this year.
The inadequacies within our health service now seem to be spilling over into the economy. The current tendency towards medicalisation appears to have left some people feeling powerless to improve their situations.
Britain has seemingly abandoned “keep calm and carry on” in favour of “be diagnosed, and stay at home.” This is not doing our society any good and we are certainly no healthier for it.