STS 1451 (Summer 2022) Body, Mind & Health: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Below you will find a few suggestions for searching this topic. These suggestions aren't the only way to find materials, but they may help to get you started.

I. Find Background Information in Reference Sources

• International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences
  Note: There is a section in the entry on the historical background.
• DSM-V(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
  OpenSection II: Diagnostic Criteria and Codes and Neuordevelopmental Disorders to read description of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Note: It can also be useful to search the previous editions of the DSM to find out when ADHD first appeared in the manual. Has the definition/description changed over time?

• Previous Editions

Note: These are pdfs. Open the links and use Ctrl F to search for the term “ADHD” or "Attention" in the manual.

II. Search the Library Catalog

To find scientific texts, histories, and “popular” materials (written for non-specialists) along with some primary sources (memoirs, autobiographies).

Steps:

1. Open the library catalog
2. Try entering any of the following terms ADHD or ADD or "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" or "Attention Deficit Disorder"
3. Under "Limit Your Search" (left-hand menu) select Subject and "more" to see all the subheadings (for example, “Diagnosis” or “History”)
4. Or, you can select Genre to find histories, case studies, popular works, fiction, etc.

III. Find current Scholarly Journal Articles (secondary sources)

• PsycInfo

Steps:

1. On the first line, type ADHD
2. On the next linke, type history

IV. Find articles about ADHD in current popular* magazines 

• Proquest Research Library
  Enter your search terms: ADHD or ADD or "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" or "Attention Deficit Disorder"
  Place quotation marks around phrases;
  From the list of results, filter to Magazines; and select a time period;
  Under Publication Titles, select "more" to select specific magazine titles of interest.

V. Finding historical newspaper articles

Was some version of ADHD discussed in the popular press in the past? Was there another term used (hyperactive, unruly? fidgety, other?)

• Proquest Historical Newspapers

Steps:

1. Select the Advanced Search.
2. Add your search terms
3. Scroll down to choose Document types.
4. Use the date limits on the left to restrict your results to a particular date range.

VI. Find more articles about the history of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

• PsycInfo 
  Search for historical articles and primary resources on ADHD. It may be helpful to include alternate search terms that were used in the past to describe the disorder, like "Minimal Brain Dysfunction"