Search

Background: Dutch child- and adolescent psychiatry (cap) is going through a complex phase now that the Youth Law has decreed that cap is to be placed under control of the municipality (i.e. local government) instead of the national government., Aim: To explain and discuss this development from a historical perspective., Method: Information was obtained from historical sources., Results: The municipality, i.e. local government, has played an important role in parts of youth mental health since the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1980s, however, governance was transferred to the national government, only to be passed back to the municipality in the early years of the 21st century., Conclusion: The level of governance, be it local or national, can bring both advantages and disadvantages to the youth mental health services. Up till now there have been several transfers from one level of governance to the other. It would be better if the two levels of governance were combined and the various parts controlled by a combination of the most appropriate types of governance.

Background: This article reviews the older Dutch literature on what is now known as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)., Method: Because this older literature is not included in electronic databases, it was traced, in a systematic and a selective manner, by means of bibliographic references., Results: It is often assumed that ADHD is a purely Anglo-Saxon phenomenon that was introduced into The Netherlands along with the concept of MBD (minimal brain damage). This assumption is incorrect. In fact, ADHD has had quite a long, respectable history of its own in The Netherlands (and in surrounding countries). The antecedents of ADHD were regarded as very common phenomena. Over the years these concepts have often been the subject of considerable controversy. Biological factors were thought to be important in the etiology., Conclusion: It would be wrong to regard ADHD only as a fashionable ailment originating in the age of computers and working mothers. Equally untenable is the current view that pre-DSM III child psychiatrists attributed psychiatric disorders solely to parental influences ('parent-blaming'). The same conclusion was drawn in other publications by the author. The history of ADHD thus demonstrates that, contrary to general belief, early psychiatry in The Netherlands was more balanced and many-sided.