Cross Cultural ADHD

ADHD is a universal condition and all the available evidence suggests that we see the same condition with the same biological and developmental correlates across the world. Clinical presentations and complexities are also very similar across different cultures and in particular the ‘difficult cases’ present with similar problems (and solutions) across very different contexts. Notwithstanding these similarities there are cultural differences in presentation and in the way that we need to approach treatment. These can be seen when one contrasts the presentation of ADHD in the UK, Australia and China. Clinical presentations in the UK and Australia generally follow very similar patterns and pathways in as much as the problems presented by parents and schools tend to be very similar. In China presentation is influenced strongly by a range of cultural issues such as the one child policy and the associated pressures on children, the very striking contrasts between rural and urban society, and the family separations that occur as a consequence of work related migration. The provision of services differs across each of these nations and results in very different approaches to treatment and the services that are offered.