Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has become a standard diagnosis to children in the United States. Parents read about this disorder in magazines and newspapers, hoping that they won't recognize symptoms that their child might possess. There are too many opinions published about ADHD which makes it difficult to tell what is real vs. what is just someone's opinion. The best way to determine what is to believe is to look for evidence of critical thinking and the principle of falsifability. The principle of falsifability is a statement or hypothesis that is stated in such a way that it can be recreated and possibly proven wrong. I have found two very similar articles, both discussing ADHD. After reviewing both articles it was easy to distinguish which article incorporated the principle of falsifability and the steps of critical thinking.
In an issue of American Family Physician, titled, "Finding Guidance Amid Uncertainty of ADHD Diagnosis," talked about how there is no known cause for ADHD. They mentioned that there was some research done to come up with this conclusion, but never defined what kind of research and how the results were concluded. Without the details of the experiment, the author had not proven the principle of falsifability. The author also stated, "an advantage of ADHD labeling is that it may remove the blame from parents and schools, and help such children get needed services and justification of medicine use" (Zwi). This statement stood out to me because, it contradicts the critical thinking .
step of analyze assumptions and biases. This statement shows that it is biases to the parents and don't want them to feel guilty. .
In comparison; an article published by British Medical Journal, titled, "Evidence and Belief in ADHD," gives the readers examples of how ADHD can easily be confused with other mental disabilities. The article also shows an example of critical thinking by stating that the disorder is very controversial and therefore tolerates uncertainty.
