Applied anthropology is defined as research and analysis done by anthropologists on a specific problem and for a specific client. Hospitals hire applied anthropologists to begin new health programs or evaluate specific initiatives to determine why they are not working. Local communities are starting to become connected by a process called globalization. Globalization is those processes that are intensifying worldwide social relations and interdependence (Tarim, Lecture 6.1). It is driven by advancements in communication, information, and transportation technologies. Globalization definitely has many advantages because it allows people to communicate ideas about healing from far distances and introduces new forms technologies. The globalization of ADHD throughout the world has made people think about ADHD diagnosis and the ethics behind the stimulant drug treatment via Adderall or Ritalin. Like previously stated, globalization can be advantageous by communicating ideas about healing far away, which is exactly what happened with ADHD. People stated to become more aware of the disease and better educated on it.
Ken Jacobson is an applied anthropologist who is conducting a cross-cultural study comparing kids in the United States and Britain. He is doing so because the United States is taking the most ADHD medication in the world. We consume 80% of the world’s stimulants such as Ritalin. The graph on the bottom right shows the current percentage of children with ADHD and the graph on the top right is of those children with diabetes that percentage is taking medications for treating it. After his applied work, he found some interesting results. Jacobson’s results–which, incidentally, used techniques typically applied to apes–suggest an inevitable conclusion: All kids have ADHD (Attention Deficit Disordered). He goes on to say that if you were to interview one random person that they would not be paying attention half of the time. Since the normal, natural condition of childhood looks a lot like ADHD, it is easy to find it wherever you want to. Children don’t know whether to pay attention or not because they haven’t developed enough to, so how do we know whether a child as ADHD or not. He said that he saw some children who showed ADHD-like symptoms but were doing very well in school. ADHD behaviors do not necessarily cause problems and inattention in and of itself doesn’t mean anything. In England, they classify it as Emotional Behavioral Difficulties not disorders. They also have behavioral modification programs rather than the drugs like Ritalin that we are giving our children. Ken Jacobson offers a realistic way of looking at ADHD and drugs may actually not be the answer. An anthropologist can offer many things that a doctor might overlook because a doctor is trying to find the immediate solution to the illness, that is their job. An anthropologist can study the illness and understand how different cultures treat certain illness and learn more from others. For example, Ken Jacobson looked at the way England dealt with ADHD and said that their system for treating kids with ADHD was much more effective than just giving kids drugs like we do today. Anthropologists can offer another perspective that we may never have seen. Sources: "ADHD - Interview with Ken Jacobson." ADHD - Interview with Ken Jacobson. Accessed July 28, 2014. "Data & Statistics." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 13, 2013. Accessed August 1, 2014. |