Journal de psychologie et psychothérapie
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Attention-deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders. A Philosophical and Psychoanalytic Reflection

Wilfried Ver Eecke

The authors of DSM-IV assemble four disorders under the general heading of attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders. The fourth one is a left-over category: Adisruptive behavior disorder not otherwise specified. We are thus left with the following three: 1) Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 2) Conduct disorder. 3) Oppositional defiant disorder. I am struck by the fact that an enumeration of the diagnostic features of ADHD just as those of conducts disorder and of oppositional defiant disorder contain many items related to not following rules. I will concentrate on this one feature of these three disorders. I will ask if there could be any objective reasons why the children affected by these disorders are compelled or encouraged to avoid or to oppose rules. Another way of approaching the problem is to ask if there are specific difficulties encountered in following rules. A more positive way of approaching the problem is to ask if following rules could be made easier or made more meaningful. If one could present an answer to one or all of the questions raised, then it would be possible to formulate helpful approaches to be used by adults having to deal with children affected by those disorders. These helpful approaches could then be used by therapeutic professionals, by parents and by educators.