Childhood ‘Disorder‘ Inspires Questions
Published by the American Psychiatric Association, the DSM-IV-TR provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) BY ALAN SCHWARZ With millions of children having received a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, there is concern that the condition is over-treated with prescription medications. Yet now some figures in mental health are claiming to have identified a new disorder that could vastly expand the ranks of young people treated for attention problems. Called sluggish cognitive tempo , the condition is said to be characterized by lethargy, daydreaming and slow mental processing. Experts pushing for more research into sluggish cognitive tempo say it is gaining momentum toward recognition as a legitimate disorder – and, as such, a candidate for pharmacological treatment. The Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology devoted 136 pages of its January issue to papers describing the ill...