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في بلدان أمريكا الشمالية، أوربا الشمالية وأستراليا حدث ارتفاع سريع في معدلات التشخيص والوصفات الطبية للمستحضرات الصيدلانية-النفسية فيما يتعلق بالاضطرابات السلوكية في الأطفال عموما وفي الأولاد بشكل خاص. وتركز هذه المقالة على قاعدة الأدلة التي يستند اليها في الوصفات الطبية الصيدلانية-النفسية لإثنين من أكثر الاضطرابات النفسية شيوعا وهما اضطراب فرط الحركة ونقص الانتباه والتوحد. فالممارسة الواسعة الانتشار في كتابة الوصفات الطبية مبنية هي في أكثر ما يكون على التسويق الناجح وليس على الأدلة العلمية. وبإمكان المجتمعات العربية والأخرى غير- الغربية التعلم من هذه الأخطاء وأن تنحو منحى أكثر حذرا قبل أن تتقبل صحة مثل هذه التشخيصات والفوائد المزعومة المتأتية من إصدار الوصفات الطبية "المعالجة".
There has been a rapid rise in rates of diagnosis of, and prescription of psycho-pharmaceuticals for, behavioural disorders in children in general, and boys in particular, in North American, North European and Australasian countries. This article concentrates on the evidence base for the prescription of psycho-pharmaceuticals for the two most common of these disorders: ADHD and Autism. The practice of widespread prescribing is based more on successful marketing than scientific evidence. Arab and other non-Western societies can learn from these mistakes and take a more cautious approach before accepting the validity of these diagnoses and the benefits of prescribing medication to ‘treat’ them. There is a long history in the field of psychiatry of exorbitant claims being made for a variety of practices from inducing insulin comas to performing radical brain surgery such as lobotomies. Each new wave brought enthusiastic claims of „miracle‟ cures, which over time, when subjected to rigorous objective research showed that these new treatments were not as effective as first claimed with risks having been unduly minimized. In recent decades, waves of optimism about „curing‟ and „treating‟ mental illness through modern psychopharmacology has popularised the use of psycho-pharmaceuticals changing use of psycho-pharmaceuticals changing the prescribing habits of doctors and the health seeking behaviour of patients. Sadly, closer scrutiny of the scientific evidence reveals that the new age of the mass use of psycho-pharmaceuticals is the result more of good marketing than good science, through a confluence in the interests of neo-liberal policies, the profit motive of pharmaceutical companies, and „guild‟ interests of psychiatrists. Closer scrutiny of the science shows that, as in previous era's physical treatments for psychiatric disorders, claims for psycho- pharmaceuticals curative properties have been exaggerated and their dangers minimised
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