Would You Trust Shire With Your Child?

By John M Grohol PsyD
August 21, 2007

Really, who in Shire’s corporate world thought that creating an ADHD support and resource website would be a good idea? Furious Seasons has the full story, also discussing Shire’s foray into “feel good” television commercials. Shire is the manufacturer of Adderall, the Daytrana transdermal patch and Vyvanse.

Why is this a problem?

Well, you don’t trust a fox with the hen-house, and you don’t go getting your information about diseases or mental disorders from a pharmaceutical company. Their corporate responsibilities to their board and shareholders are paramount over providing unbiased medical or psychological information.

So it’s not surprising to see their website full of unattributed, undated articles from unknown sources, reviewed (or not, as the website makes no mention of its editorial process) by unknown professionals or laypeople who are unbiased experts in the area of ADHD.

Shire, if you really wanted to help people with ADHD, fund some new unrestricted educational grants in this area to publishers and individuals who have a real interest in helping people get all of the information on ADHD. Or, better yet, reduce the price of your medications, since hundreds of ADHD websites, resources and support groups already exist.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues, and the intersection of technology and psychology since 1992.