The First Hyperactive Children: ADHD in Historical Perspective

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Join us as we welcome Matthew Smith, Professor of Health History, from the Univeristy of Starthclyde!

Matthew Smith will indulge us with his talk, "The First Hyperactive Children: ADHD in Historical Perspective."

Matthew has prepared this short blurb to get everyone excited about his lecture...

"During the late 1950s the first children were diagnosed with hyperactivity or what is now referred to as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  They would not be the last.  Recent estimates assert that over 5% of the world’s children are hyperactive.  Most of these children are treated with stimulant drugs, such as Ritalin.  In order to better understand this global epidemic and what it implies about our notions of childhood and mental helath, it is essential to explore why the behavioural characteristics associated with ADHD were first thought to be abnormal.  Prior to the late 1950s, American psychiatrists and educators were more concerned with shy, withdrawn children, rather than the rambunctious and boisterous children, which was perceived as normal, if not positive.  But by the 1960s, such perceptions had reversed. Why was this the case?  I argue that this transition was due to a wide range of geopolitical, demographic, social and technological pressures facing American educators and psychiatrists, which ultimately pathologised what was previously regarded as normal childhood behaviour."

The lecture will talk place in W404, Wednesday the 8th of November, from 5pm-6pm.

The lecture is free for members of the Psychology Society or £3 for non-members, anyone is welcome so bring your friends! We will supply tea, juice, and biscuits for all while we get lost in such an intriguing subject.

As always, we hope to see you all there!

-The Psychology Society :)