Manipulations and Spins in Attention Disorders Research: The Case of ADHD and COVID-19

Background: Critics of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) warn against overdiagnosis and overtreatment of millions of children. Objective: The goal of this article is to raise awareness to manipulations and "spins" that might occur in attention disorders research. Method: An in-depth inspection was conducted on a high-profile study that suggested that ADHD increases the risk for infection with COVID-19 and that stimulants reduce that risk1. Two additional studies by the same first author were inspected as well – one that was published in the same journal and one that relied on the same dataset. Results: Seven manipulations and spins were identified, including inappropriate operational definitions, misrepresentations, and omissions that produced bogus results and might have concealed potential adverse effects of medications on COVID-19 outcomes. Without correcting for these distortions, it is therefore not possible to determine that ADHD increases the risk of COVID-19 and that stimulant medications reduce this risk. Conclusions: The manipulations and spins identified in this article may raise awareness to poor methodologies and biases that occur in the field of attention disorders, mainly due to the contaminating influences of the pharmaceutical industry. In turn, these biases may contribute to the ethically problematic phenomena of overdiagnosis and overmedication. Altogether, this article may encourage physicians to apply healthy scientific skepticism and serve scientists who wish to conduct reliable and transparent research on ADHD and its related medications

Censorship and Suppression of Covid-19 Heterodoxy_ Tactics and Counter-Tactics

The emergence of COVID-19 has led to numerous controversies over COVID-related knowledge and policy. To counter the perceived threat from doctors and scientists who challenge the official position of governmental and intergovernmental health authorities, some supporters of this orthodoxy have moved to censor those who promote dissenting views. The aim of the present study is to explore the experiences and responses of highly accomplished doctors and research scientists from different countries who have been targets of suppression and/or censorship following their publications and statements in relation to COVID-19 that challenge official views. Our findings point to the central role played by media organizations, and especially by information technology companies, in attempting to stifle debate over COVID-19 policy and measures. In the effort to silence alternative voices, widespread use was made not only of censorship, but of tactics of suppression that damaged the reputations and careers of dissenting doctors and scientists, regardless of their academic or medical status and regardless of their stature prior to expressing a contrary position. In place of open and fair discussion, censorship and suppression of scientific dissent has deleterious and far-reaching implications for medicine, science, and public health