I think it is a tragedy that Great Britain is following in the footsteps of the United States and continuing the wide scale drugging of its children

Psychiatrist Dr Peter Breggin

The effectiveness of Ritalin will also come under the microscope.

Children with the severest forms of the condition are often prescribed Ritalin to combat their problems.

But some experts have criticised what they call the over-use of medication and in particular Ritalin, both in the UK and US.

Psychiatrist Dr Peter Breggin, founder of the International Centre for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology and author of Toxic Psychiatry, said Ritalin is too widely prescribed.

"I think it is a tragedy that Great Britain is following in the footsteps of the United States and continuing the wide-scale drugging of its children.

"All Ritalin can do is to suppress the behaviour."

Dr Breggin said there were currently a number of legal suits against Ritalin pending in the States.

Conference organiser Andrea Bilbow, herself the parent of a teenager with ADHD, admits Ritalin prescriptions are on the increase, but said this is because more and more children are being diagnosed, rather than it being over prescribed.

"I think it is just a storm in a tea-cup," she said.

Raise awareness

Ms Bilbow said the real aim of the conference was to raise awareness of ADHD and to ensure that experts and parents are aware of the condition and can quickly identify and treat sufferers.

"We have woken the profession up by raising awareness.

"We are offering practical support for people at the conference.

"AHDH is a condition that is best dealt with by a multi-agency approach."