Neurobiology in public and private discourse: the case of adults with ADHD

TY - JOUR

T1 - Neurobiology in public and private discourse

T2 - the case of adults with ADHD

AU - Bröer, Christian

AU - Heerings, Marjolijn

AU - Heerings, M.

N1 - © 2012 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2012 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

PY - 2013/1

Y1 - 2013/1

N2 - How do people describe their health? How do their descriptions relate to public definitions? This article focuses on adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We look at Dutch adults who adopt the ADHD label and ask: which discourses structure their descriptions of ADHD? How do these relate to the dominant public discourse on ADHD? Do people use, for example, neurobiological explanations of ADHD? The research makes use of Q-methodology, which combines a discursive relational approach with factor analysis. We examine five different personal discourses that partly differ from the public discourse. People borrow neurobiological, psychological, sociological and even holistic arguments from public discourse to come up with a distinct set of discourses. Neurobiology resonates among adults with ADHD but does not dominate their thinking. Contrary to our expectation, this supports reflexivity instead of discipline theory.

AB - How do people describe their health? How do their descriptions relate to public definitions? This article focuses on adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We look at Dutch adults who adopt the ADHD label and ask: which discourses structure their descriptions of ADHD? How do these relate to the dominant public discourse on ADHD? Do people use, for example, neurobiological explanations of ADHD? The research makes use of Q-methodology, which combines a discursive relational approach with factor analysis. We examine five different personal discourses that partly differ from the public discourse. People borrow neurobiological, psychological, sociological and even holistic arguments from public discourse to come up with a distinct set of discourses. Neurobiology resonates among adults with ADHD but does not dominate their thinking. Contrary to our expectation, this supports reflexivity instead of discipline theory.

KW - Adult

KW - Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity

KW - Attitude to Health

KW - Factor Analysis, Statistical

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Neurobiology

KW - Patient Acceptance of Health Care

KW - Personal Autonomy

KW - Quality of Life

KW - Social Perception

KW - Sociology, Medical

KW - Terminology as Topic

U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2012.01477.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2012.01477.x

M3 - Article

C2 - 22738075

SN - 1467-9566

VL - 35

SP - 49

EP - 65

JO - Sociology of Health and Illness

JF - Sociology of Health and Illness

IS - 1

ER -