The DSM as a mechanism of psychopathologisation and social regulation: the case of the children in Puerto Rico

Abstract

In this article I discuss the function of psychopathologisation and social regulation that has Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association. I argue that the use of this Manual is spreading so accelerated among countries, having one of its most worrisome results in the medicalization of children. I take as an example the proliferation that has had the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children of Puerto Rico. I approach this topic from a constructionist standpoint in order to analyze the contents of regulation and control of that the ADHD diagnosis has in children. I propose an approach that respects the subjectivity of children as a product of social relations and that reject the medicalization of everyday situations.