Doc. 11070rev
11 October 2006

Children’s right to safely overcoming hyperactivity and attention problems

Motion for a recommendation
presented by Mrs Woldseth and others

The Assembly,

1.        Recalls that with Recommendation 1562 (2002) Controlling the diagnosis and treatment of hyperactive children in Europe, it expressed a concern that an increasing number of children in Council of Europe member states are being diagnosed as suffering from “attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD), “hyperkinetic disorder” or related behavioural conditions. These diagnoses are entirely subjective and highly controversial, both in their diagnosis and treatment;

2.        Notes that children and adolescents increasingly and in some member states in the main are being treated by means of central nervous system stimulants such as amphetamines or methylphenidate (and in a few countries now also with a new drug class having similar effects);

3.        Notes that a number of reports and governmental warnings have been issued in the recent months on the misdiagnosing of children with such labels and against these types of drugs. Warnings among others have been issued by most of the national medicines agencies of the European Union member states, the European Medicines Agency, the Commission of the European Union, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. The warnings include that children using these drugs may suffer mental side-effects ranging from behavioural abnormalities, visual hallucinations, suicidal ideation, psychotic behaviour, to aggression or violent behaviour; and suffer heart attacks, strokes, liver damage and actually die;

4.        Recalls that this issue is of particular concern to the Council of Europe as a human rights organisation which aims, among other things, to protect the rights of children and to seek European responses to social and health problems including drug use;

5.        According to a scientific review of all studies published on ADHD, there is significant lack of evidence showing any improvement of educational and social skills after drug treatments of children labelled with such diagnoses;

6.        Notes that hyperactivity or lack of attention are symptoms that can be caused by numerous different reasons including the child eating too much white refined sugar, food additives or too little essential fatty acids (EFAs) and minerals. And that not only foods but also environmental toxins such as mercury or lead, as well as allergies and other physical aliments can affect behaviour and academic performance and appear to be the symptoms of ADHD or related learning or behavioural disorders. In other children the symptoms may have been caused by education not adapted to that child’s needs;

7.        Asks that the competent Committee study this matter and recommend a firm policy to take with regards to the treatment of children with these symptoms;

8.        Asks the Committee of Ministers upon the receipt of the report and recommendations from the Parliamentary Assembly to adopt these, or that if it wishes to confirm the findings itself or through the Pompidou Group, does not use child psychiatric experts who are, or have been paid for by pharmaceutical companies producing stimulants or the new class of drugs used to treat the symptoms labelled as ADHD, and whose own research is not questioned or have been found to be biased or fraudulent.

Signed ¹:

WOLDSETH, Karin S., Norway, EDG

ABBASOV Aydin Azerbaijan SOC

ALATALU, Toomas, Estonia, EDG

AZZOLINI, Claudio, Italy, EPP/CD

BIBERAJ, Aleksander, Albania, EPP/CD

CHRISTOFFERSEN, Lise, Norway, SOC

DEES, Dirk, Netherlands, ALDE

DROMBERG, Kaarina, Finland, EPP/CD

DUESUND, Åse Gunhild Woie, Norway, EPP/CD

GAJDŮŠKOVÁ, Alena, Czech Republic, SOC

GREENWAY, John, United Kingdom, EDG

HAJIYEV, Sabir, Azerbaijan, SOC

ISLAMI, Kastriot, Albania, SOC

JACOBSEN, Bjørn, Norway, UEL

MILO, Paskal, Albania, SOC

PERNASKA, Lajla, Albania, EPP/CD

SAKS, Katrin, Estonia, SOC

SEYIDOV, Samad, Azerbaijan, EDG

VAKSDAL, Øyvind, Norway, EDG

van WINSEN, Bart, Netherlands, EPP/CD

VEENENDAAL, Jelleke, Netherlands, ALDE

¹     SOC: Socialist Group
      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party
      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
      EDG: European Democratic Group
      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
      NR: not registered in a group