I read with much interest the article by Colin Steer 'Over-diagnosed, over-analysed' in your Monday edition. I fully agree with him.

Too many children are being labelled one thing or the other simply because they fall a little outside some subjective 'norm' established (oftentimes) by foreign 'experts' observing a certain population of children that may or may not be genetically or socially similar to ours.

Labels influence parents

As he pointed out, labels can sometimes influence how parents treat children and (perhaps more important) how children perceive themselves.

Older, busier parents complain more about their so-called hyperactive child. Teachers (with bigger classrooms) who cannot give individual attention to students also tend to complain about a certain child being too active (at least more active than the others). In many (but not all) instances, if hyperactive children are kept busy and allowed to tire themselves out, they will eventually calm down.

Then, there is this increasing trend to blame everything that's a little unusual on a personality disorder. You may have seen the trend to blame criminality on personality disorders too. It is believed by some researchers and thinkers that sometime in the future we will identify a gene for criminality and breed it out of the human race. Some also believe that we may be able to medically or surgically ablate the tendencies for violence from an area of the brain noted for producing it.

There is one more very important aspect of this 'over-diagnosing' thing that most people would not have thought of. Some doctors will label or diagnose a child as having a personality or behavioural disorder just to be on the safe side of a potential future law suit. We in the medical profession call it covering your butt. It's sometimes the reason why so many children are being labelled, diagnosed and referred for further assessment and therapy and given all kinds of tests and medications.

I am, etc.,

GARTH RATTRAY

Kingston