From David Sloan
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
You argue that brain imaging such as PET scans should be used for diagnosing
medical conditions, not in defending criminal actions (Editorial, 22 March, p
3). Would that were so in Britain in respect to children with Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a disproportionate number of whom will end up in
prison.
Britain is years behind the US and other developed countries in the
management of this condition, with some psychiatrists pooh-poohing its
existence. Now PET scans can reveal the functional differences in such cases,
with some overactivity in the visual and auditory cortex (hence inattention),
and underperformance in the “executive” prefrontal lobes (and thus hyperactivity
and impulsiveness).
Yes, PET scans should play an important role in validating this condition,
and help ensure its accurate diagnosis and proper treatment, rather than
confirming after the event our failure to help sufferers who end up in the
dock.
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