ADDitude Magazine - Bias and Credibility (original) (raw)
Sources in the Pseudoscience category may publish unverifiable information that is not always supported by evidence. These sources may be untrustworthy for credible/verifiable information; therefore, fact-checking and further investigation are recommended on a per-article basis when obtaining information from these sources. See all Conspiracy-Pseudoscience sources.
- Overall, we rate ADDitude Magazine as a mild Pseudoscience website based on promoting unproven natural treatments; however, there is good scientific information here as well, but caution is needed when exploring their natural remedies page.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: PSEUDOSCIENCE
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: USA
Press Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Magazine
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
History
Founded in 1998, ADDitude Magazine is a quarterly magazine and website about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD ADHD). The official website for ADDitude magazine was launched in April 2007. According to their about page, they “deliver expert advice and caring support, making us the leading media network for parents and adults living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).”
Read our profile on the United States government and media.
Funded by / Ownership
WebMD LLC owns ADDitude. According to the General Manager via email, “Revenue is derived through magazine subscriptions and advertising, both online and in print. Pharmaceutical advertising comprises less than 10% of all impressions and ads served. ADDitude weekly webinars are free to attend; however, certificates of attendance are available for $10 each. ADDitude also sells ebooks.”
Analysis / Bias
In review, ADDitude publishes basic information about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments for Attention Deficit disorders and related conditions. Articles and headlines are typically not emotional, such as this: What is Sensory Processing Sensitivity? Traits, Insights, and ADHD Links. All articles reviewed were either properly sourced from credible outlets, written by experts, or reviewed by their “Medical Advisory Panel, which is comprised of board-certified physicians and psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, professors, scientific researchers, therapists, and other experts in ADHD and its comorbid conditions.”
In another article titled Essential Oils, they promote aromatherapy as a possible treatment for symptoms. They state in the article, “Studies on essential oils have had mixed results, and some experts caution that the difficulty in making these studies truly double-blind may have had a confounding effect on the outcomes.” While placing this warning is helpful, it may mislead people as essential oils have never been proven to have more than a placebo effect in clinical trials. Finally, the website also has a natural remedies page, which contains some information that has limited scientific support, such as EFT Tapping, an intervention that draws on acupressure and psychotherapy principles. Acupressure is a pseudoscience similar to acupuncture that relies on meridian lines that have not been proven to exist.
ADDitude points out that EFT Tapping is an alternative therapy with minimal research; despite this, they provide examples of scientific studies where it showed some effect. Unfortunately, the footnote links do not work; therefore, we cannot determine the veracity of the studies. Further, according to Science-Based Medicine: “The research is nowhere near where it would need to be to properly establish EFT as having specific efficacy, even without the fact that it is based on pure pseudoscience without any basis in reality.”
In general, most information is factual; however, the promotion of unproven treatments offers misleading information, and therefore, we rate them a mild pseudoscience source.
Failed Fact Checks
- None in the Last 5 years
Overall, we rate ADDitude Magazine as a mild Pseudoscience website based on promoting unproven natural treatments; however, there is good scientific information here as well, but caution is needed when exploring their natural remedies page. (2/17/2021) Updated (10/13/2023)
Source: https://www.additudemag.com/
Last Updated on October 13, 2023 by
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