Abstract
In the last five years, Brazil has presented a significant increase in ADHD diagnosis. Methylphenidate is the drug of choice for treatment and consumption has reached high levels. There is evidence that this increase is due to self-medication. It is known that information from the internet, specifically from Facebook, exerts a strong influence on use patterns, reflecting important developments in the process of pharmaceuticalization. The objectives of this article are to map information on the use of this medicine in virtual networks, by first introducing the digital research methodology, specifically the application of social networking data extraction software (Facebook). The publicly accessed content was analyzed and categorized using anchoring about pharmaceuticalization, provided by the literature. Facebook provides an important virtual environment for the circulation of information on methylphenidate consumption, with a range of about 600,000 people. The virtual discussion forums address the main controversies about methylphenidate use, which are diagnosis, ADHD identity, resistance to the use of the drug and acquisition. This form of information dissemination permits the identification and characterization of non-therapeutic uses of methylphenidate.
Keywords:
pharmaceuticalization; social networks; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; methylphenidate
