Do professions differ in their beliefs about the causes and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder?

Key health organisations in Western countries, such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2008) in the United Kingdom, and more recently, the American Academy of Paediatrics (2011) in the United States, have advocated multimodal and multidisciplinary approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, despite these clinical best practice guidelines, there is little evidence of a general adoption of interdisciplinary collaboration and practice. One impediment to the implementation of multidisciplinary practice may be the beliefs that different professionals (and professional bodies) hold about the causes and treatment of ADHD. This chapter reviews the results of research that examined the beliefs of professional groups engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD about (i) the causes of ADHD and (ii) the efficacy of general treatment approaches. Following the review, other possible impediments to the adoption of interdisciplinary collaboration and practice are also discussed.