Under the custody of biopower: children with ADHD

Abstract

The child is considered in contemporary society as a subject of rights different from the adult, and fragile, because of the idea that she or he is still in physical, intellectual, and moral development. In that way, it is a subject that requires special care. However, how is the child been tutored? This article develops a sociological analysis of the child care based on psychiatric diagnoses and medicamental treatments. It brings to a focus the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and its psychiatric treatment basically centered on psychostimulants (methylphenidate). The proposed approach results from field research at a children’s psychiatric hospital and from some considerations on another field research, now developed in Brazilian public schools.