Earlier this week, Thailand’s Ministry of Health made a great step forward in the fight to pathologize a perfectly natural condition. Or, oops, I meant, “diagnose a rampant epidemic.” My bad.
According to a statement released by the Ministry (and subsequently reported by the Bangkok Post), more than 310,000 of Thailand’s youth suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This number represents roughly 6.5% of Thai children in the first through fifth grades, a percentage significantly higher than the 5% of children worldwide who suffer from the disease.
How do you know if your child has ADHD? Well, the Ministry has offered a couple of helpful guidelines.
Children aged six to 12 who exhibit playfulness, lack of focus or lack of self-control (traits all but foreign to the demographic) are apparently prime candidates for an ADHD diagnosis.
The Ministry has also been helpful enough to point out that parents can look to their own bad habits as the cause of this generation-spanning scourge. Mothers who smoke or drink during pregnancy, according to the Ministry, put their children at risk for the disorder.
In response to this epidemic the Department of Mental Health has set up two hotlines for parents who worry that their children might rank among the afflicted. Call either 1667 or 1323 for essential information about how your child is suffering from childhood and how it’s probably your fault.
