Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is one of the least understood medical conditions. With no specific test available, misdiagnosis is common and the results can be devastating for both the parents and the child. Because no one can agree on a single definition for the disorder, confusion is rampant and treatment is only mildly successful at best. Attention Deficit Disorder Misdiagnosis addresses these problems in a systematic and logical fashion. It presents a battery of tests for properly diagnosing ADD, stresses its relationship to brain behavior and proposes practical treatment solutions. Written by an expert in the field who also happens to be the mother of an ADD child, it presents a unique perspective on this complex yet all too pervasive disorder. This is an essential text for doctors, parents and any individual working with an ADD child or adult. It will also help professionals in related disciplines approach ADD as a biochemical medical disorder and understand the reasons for its inherent complexity and frequent misdiagnosis.
Mistaken for ADHD Parents! The real tragedy in a childs life would be to cause him or her to fail to grow, mature and develop the normal skills needed for success as an adult. Unfortunately, if your child is wrongfully mislabeled as ADHD instead of being properly evaluated and treated for one of the disorders that can act just like ADHD, he or she might: Need medications every day for years Be labeled and subjected to discrimination in school as an impaired learner Require thousands of dollars for unneeded doctor visits and therapy Be unable to keep a job Have multiple legal problems Grow up to be a socially, emotionally handicapped adult, still living with you at age 30. Most doctors who evaluate children for ADHD are probably not adequately trained to do so! Mistaken for ADHD is your guide to help you take charge and be a strong advocate in making sure your childs behavior problem is thoroughly evaluated and treated. Between the covers of this book youll discover stories of children misdiagnosed as ADHD and how those ADHD-mimicking disorders or Zebras, as Dr. Frank refers to them, were properly diagnosed and treated.
Our brightest, most creative children and adults are often being misdiagnosed with behavioral and emotional disorders such as ADHD, Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, Bipolar, OCD, or Asperger?s. Many receive unneeded medication and inappropriate counseling as a result. Physicians, psychologists, and counselors are unaware of characteristics of gifted children and adults that mimic pathological diagnoses. Six nationally prominent health care professionals describe ways parents and professionals can distinguish between gifted behaviors and pathological behaviors. ?These authors have brought to light a widespread and serious problem?the wasting of lives from the misdiagnosis of gifted children and adults and the inappropriate treatment that often follows.? Jack G. Wiggins, Ph. D., Former President, American Psychological Association
The ADHD label had been rampantly overused on children with completely different problems when the controversial first edition of ADHD was praised by practitioners and parents alike as a timely book whose message was long overdue. This new edition includes a complete revision of the chapter on medication, detailing when to use certain drugs and the side effects that can be expected, and including a thorough review and update of older medications. Special problems for teenagers with ADHD are addressed, including sexual relationships, pregnancy, substance abuse, driving, and general teen attitudes. Material has been added to help parents find their way through the legal maze of public education where children are often wrongly first stigmatized with the ADHD label.
In this groundbreaking and controversial book, behavioral neurologist Dr. Richard Saul draws on five decades of experience treating thousands of patients labeled with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder—one of the fastest growing and widely diagnosed conditions today—to argue that ADHD is actually a cluster of symptoms stemming from over 20 other conditions and disorders. According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 6.4 million children between the ages of four and seventeen have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. While many skeptics believe that ADHD is a fabrication of drug companies and the medical establishment, the symptoms of attention-deficit and hyperactivity are all too real for millions of individuals who often cannot function without treatment. If ADHD does not exist, then what is causing these debilitating symptoms? Over the course of half a century, physician Richard Saul has worked with thousands of patients demonstrating symptoms of ADHD. Based on his experience, he offers a shocking conclusion: ADHD is not a condition on its own, but rather a symptom complex caused by over twenty separate conditions—from poor eyesight and giftedness to bipolar disorder and depression—each requiring its own specific treatment. Drawing on in-depth scientific research and real-life stories from his numerous patients, ADHD Does not Exist synthesizes Dr. Saul's findings, and offers and clear advice for everyone seeking answers.
This title sets out clear recommendations for healthcare staff, based on the best available evidence, on how to diagnose and manage both children and adults who have ADHD to significantly improve their treatment and care.
More than 1 in 7 American children get diagnosed with ADHD - three times what experts have said is appropriate - meaning that millions of kids are misdiagnosed and taking medications such as Adderall or Concerta for a psychiatric condition they probably do not have. The numbers rise every year. And still, many experts and drug companies deny any cause for concern. In fact, they say that adults and the rest of the world should embrace ADHD and that its medications will transform their lives. -- Provided by publisher.
A ground-breaking book on the needs and issues of girls with attentional problems: why they are often undiagnosed, how they are different from boys, and what their special needs are in school, in their social world and at home. Age-related checklists from pre-school to high school help parents and professionals better identify and help girls with AD/HD.
From "the most powerful psychiatrist in America" (New York Times) and "the man who wrote the book on mental illness" (Wired), a deeply fascinating and urgently important critique of the widespread medicalization of normality Anyone living a full, rich life experiences ups and downs, stresses, disappointments, sorrows, and setbacks. These challenges are a normal part of being human, and they should not be treated as psychiatric disease. However, today millions of people who are really no more than "worried well" are being diagnosed as having a mental disorder and are receiving unnecessary treatment. In Saving Normal, Allen Frances, one of the world's most influential psychiatrists, warns that mislabeling everyday problems as mental illness has shocking implications for individuals and society: stigmatizing a healthy person as mentally ill leads to unnecessary, harmful medications, the narrowing of horizons, misallocation of medical resources, and draining of the budgets of families and the nation. We also shift responsibility for our mental well-being away from our own naturally resilient and self-healing brains, which have kept us sane for hundreds of thousands of years, and into the hands of "Big Pharma," who are reaping multi-billion-dollar profits. Frances cautions that the new edition of the "bible of psychiatry," the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5), will turn our current diagnostic inflation into hyperinflation by converting millions of "normal" people into "mental patients." Alarmingly, in DSM-5, normal grief will become "Major Depressive Disorder"; the forgetting seen in old age is "Mild Neurocognitive Disorder"; temper tantrums are "Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder"; worrying about a medical illness is "Somatic Symptom Disorder"; gluttony is "Binge Eating Disorder"; and most of us will qualify for adult "Attention Deficit Disorder." What's more, all of these newly invented conditions will worsen the cruel paradox of the mental health industry: those who desperately need psychiatric help are left shamefully neglected, while the "worried well" are given the bulk of the treatment, often at their own detriment. Masterfully charting the history of psychiatric fads throughout history, Frances argues that whenever we arbitrarily label another aspect of the human condition a "disease," we further chip away at our human adaptability and diversity, dulling the full palette of what is normal and losing something fundamental of ourselves in the process. Saving Normal is a call to all of us to reclaim the full measure of our humanity.
Women with Attention Deficit Disorder, psychotherapist Sari Solden's, groundbreaking book, explains how every year, millions of withdrawn little girls and chronically overwhelmed women go undiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder because they don't fit the stereotypical profile: they're not fast-talking, hyperactive, or inattentive, and they are not male. This pioneering book explores treatment and counseling options, and uses real-life case histories to examine the special challenges women with AD/HD face, such as the shame of not fulfilling societal expectations. Solden explains that AD/HD affects just as many women as men, and often results in depression, disorganization, anxiety, and underachievement. Included in this revised edition is a brand new chapter on friendship challenges for women with AD/HD. Three empowering steps -- restructuring one's life, renegotiating relationships, and redefining self-image -- help women take control of their lives and enjoy success on their own terms. "Sari Solden has used her personal and professional experience to shine some light into the dark closet inhabited by far too many ADD women... She empowers ADD women by validating their experience as worthwhile human beings who struggle with serious organizational problems in many areas of their lives." (Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo, authors of You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy")
