ABSTRACT
The diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADHD is quite complex. Contextual factors may influence it, and its treatment may involve different interventions. Institutions in several countries have promoted the participation of users in treatment decisions. In Brazil, it is provided by the Unified Health System. This study investigated the decision-making process in treating children with ADHD indicators from the perception of 8 public mental health services professionals interviewed individually. Data were examined through thematic analysis, revealing challenges related to excessive demand for services and the complexity of the diagnostic process. The involvement of users and family members in the decisions was perceived as partial, generally occurring after elaborating the therapeutic plan by the teams, and involving difficulties in communication between professionals and patients and differences of interests between children and their families. These aspects may be addressed in future studies and interventions to facilitate and improve the quality of the decision-making process in this context.
Keywords:
Decision-making; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; case study