Abstract

VIZOTTO, Luana Paula  and  FERRAZZA, Daniele de Andrade. Childhood in the hotseat: On diagnostic labeling and the trivialized practice of psychotropic prescriptions. Estud. psicol. (Natal) [online]. 2017, vol.22, n.2, pp. 214-224. ISSN 1413-294X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22491/1678-4669.20170022.

This research intends to discuss, through the analysis of medical files, the journey made by children and adolescents through the mental health service offered by the RAPS (Psycho-social Care Network) of a city located in the south-west region of the state of São Paulo, particularly focusing on the motivations behind the prescription of methylphenidate, especially for patients diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Data shows that, despite the absence of any medical diagnosis in 20% of the medical files, every single child was prescribed psychotropic medications, except for one patient, who didn't come back for their medical appointment. The conclusion was that only a few manage to avoid the maneuvers of the medicalization logic promoted by the common interests between psychiatry and pharmaceutical industry, whose chemical traps lead to subjectivity control and restraint nowadays.

Keywords : childhood; mental health; medicalization.

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