As part of the Collège de France’s annual public health chair, Cédric Galéra gave a talk at the seminar ‘Attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity: between neurodevelopment and neurodiversity’.
This was an opportunity to discuss this disorder, which is at the heart of medical and societal issues

Throughout his presentation, Cédric Galéra (HEALTHY-BPH) shares his insights, both as a child psychiatrist and as an epidemiology researcher. He emphasises the importance of recognising neurodevelopmental diversity without pathologising every difference or trivialising suffering or disability, but also of aligning institutions (schools, the health system, the world of work) in order to improve the quality of life of those affected.

ADHD: a true medical description

Recognised as a neurodevelopmental disorder, ADHD is characterised by attention difficulties, impulsivity and, in some cases, hyperactivity.
Cédric Galéra reminds us that although the behaviours now associated with ADHD have been described since antiquity, their transformation into a medical description is relatively recent.
Today, diagnosis is based on more standardised tools, making it possible to better anticipate and prevent key periods of development in order to provide appropriate and effective interventions.

A public health issue

To illustrate his point, Cédric Galéra refers to data and results from cohort studies such as i-Share, developed by the HEALTHY-BPH team, but also TEMPO and ChipARD.

International data show that ADHD is a universal syndrome, with a stable prevalence of around 5% in children and adolescents and 2.5% in adults. It is one of the most common reasons for consultation in child psychiatry.

While genetics play a role in the development of this disorder, studies also highlight the impact of socio-economic factors. Indeed, ADHD is twice as common among children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

The Collège de France’s annual public health chair takes a rigorous, multidisciplinary scientific approach to addressing current health issues. Cédric Galéra’s presentation is fully in line with this vision.

For more information, watch the video of the conference on the Collège de France website.