The medical community has condemned former Gyeonggi Province Governor Nam Kyung-pil’s claim that ADHD medication could lead to drug abuse, saying his remarks spread misinformation and cause unnecessary public anxiety.

Nam, who appeared on MBC’s Morning Today on Wednesday last week as the representative of a drug prevention and treatment organization, stated that a celebrity who was caught using drugs “first became addicted to ADHD medication, and as the dosage increased, eventually turned to methamphetamine.”

Nam added that "parents who recommend ADHD medications are essentially encouraging drug use.”

The Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (KACAP) refuted this as incorrect information.

“ADHD medications are safe and effective treatment options, not drugs,” KACAP said in a statement. “Describing appropriate medical treatment administered according to medical necessity as ‘drug use’ could impose severe stigma on children receiving treatment and their families.”

They noted that ADHD medications used appropriately for treatment purposes have a very low risk of drug dependence.

“Repeated studies have shown that appropriate medication treatment reduces the risk of future substance abuse,” it said. “Untreated ADHD patients are more likely to face negative outcomes, including substance abuse, academic and occupational failure, and interpersonal conflicts due to impulsivity and difficulty with self-regulation.”

For children with ADHD, medication is not simply a choice to improve academic performance. Still, a therapeutic decision that helps restore self-esteem, emotional stability, peer relationships, and academic and social functioning, and is the foundation for a healthy life, the statement added.

It also stated that inaccurate information threatens the right of children with ADHD to receive treatment.

“Children who have been properly diagnosed and are undergoing treatment may experience a decline in self-esteem and withdrawal, as well as exclusion and stigmatization from their peers, due to repeated reports such as these, which may lead them to believe that they are taking drugs,” it said. “This is a serious issue that cannot be taken lightly, as it infringes on their right to receive treatment.”

Mental health is a field that requires professional evaluation and treatment. Repeatedly making statements that are not factual by non-experts in public media hinders the promotion of national mental health, the KACAP said.

“We express deep regret over the remarks made by former Governor Nam," it added.