What's the Fuss about ADHD?


Book Description

Written mainly for parents of children with ADHD, this book explores the controversies surrounding the condition, and presents the relevant science in a way that is accessible and readable. It covers various aspects of the disorder, including its history, diagnosis, causes and treatment. Dr Belsham has drawn on his twelve years of private practice as a child psychiatrist, to address the issues which most concern parents, such as the accuracy of diagnosis and the safety of commonly used medications. In doing so, he provides a balanced account which acknowledges the many ethical complexities at play. But this book is also for the many other professionals involved with ADHD, who are looking for information which is neither oversimplified nor obscured by scientific jargon. Parents and professionals alike will be encouraged to think more deeply about the condition and what it means for our children.




Running on Ritalin


Book Description

In a book as provocative and newsworthy as Listening to Prozac and Driven to Distraction, a physician speaks out on America's epidemic level of diagnoses for attention deficit disorder, and on the drug that has become almost a symbol of our times: Ritalin. In 1997 alone, nearly five million people in the United States were prescribed Ritalin--most of them young children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. Use of this drug, which is a stimulant related to amphetamine, has increased by 700 percent since 1990. And this phenomenon appears to be uniquely American: 90 percent of the world's Ritalin is used here. Is this a cause for alarm--or simply the case of an effective treatment meeting a newly discovered need? Important medical advance--or drug of abuse, as some critics claim? Lawrence Diller has written the definitive book about this crucial debate--evenhanded, wide-ranging, and intimate in its knowledge of families, schools, and the pressures of our speeded-up society. As a pediatrician and family therapist, he has evaluated hundreds of children, adolescents, and adults for ADD, and he offers crucial information and treatment options for anyone struggling with this problem. Running on Ritalin also throws a spotlight on some of our most fundamental values and goals. What does Ritalin say about the old conundrums of nature vs. nurture, free will vs. responsibility? Is ADD a disability that entitles us to special treatment? If our best is not good enough, can we find motivation and success in a pill? Is there still a place for childhood in the performance-driven America of the late nineties?




Help! My child is atypical


Book Description

To raise a typical toddler is no joke. So what do you do when your child happens to be ‘different’? What if he’s hyperactive and can’t pay attention? What if you suspect that she might be autistic? What can be done about low muscle tone and poor pencil grip? What if his language development is not on par, or he lisps or stutters? And what if she doesn’t have learning difficulties, but suffers from anxiety? In Help! My Child is Atypical a team of experts answer these and many other questions that parents struggle with daily. Is therapy really essential or is it just a money-making scheme? And where do you begin when you suspect something’s amiss? In 30 gripping case studies, parents and therapists relate their true stories of determination and hope. Psychologists, speech therapists, audiologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, play therapists and other medical practitioners share their knowledge, experience and secrets. Help! My Child is Atypical is a practical guide that equips you with the tools needed to make you and your child a champion team!




Exploring ADHD


Book Description

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric condition of childhood worldwide, yet the medical and psychological perspectives that dominate our understandings of ADHD present problems in their reductive understanding of the condition. Exploring ADHD incorporates Michel Foucault’s notions of discourse and power into a critical ethnographic framework in order to analyse ADHD in terms of both the historical conditions that have shaped understandings of the disorder, and also the social conditions which build individual diagnostic cases in today’s schools and families. In this ground-breaking text, Simon Bailey also: acknowledges the necessary work of classrooms, schools and families in contributing to a social order; examines the problem of teacher autonomy and the constraints placed on schools to ‘perform’; describes the role of nurture groups in governing the emotional conduct of children; presents a unique gender analysis of ADHD. This fascinating new book will be of interest to researchers and academics in the field of early childhood education, special and inclusive education, and will illuminate and spark new debate in the arena of ADHD.




Adult ADHD-Focused Couple Therapy


Book Description

Since ADHD became a well-known condition, decades ago, much of the research and clinical discourse has focused on youth. In recent years, attention has expanded to the realm of adult ADHD and the havoc it can wreak on many aspects of adult life, including driving safety, financial management, education and employment, and interpersonal difficulties. Adult ADHD-Focused Couple Therapy breaks new ground in explaining and suggesting approaches for treating the range of challenges that ADHD can create within a most important and delicate relationship: the intimate couple. With the help of contributors who are experts in their specialties, Pera and Robin provide the clinician with a step-by-step, nuts-and-bolts approach to help couples enhance their relationship and improve domestic cooperation. This comprehensive guide includes psychoeducation, medication guidelines, cognitive interventions, co-parenting techniques, habit change and communication strategies, and ADHD-specific clinical suggestions around sexuality, money, and cyber-addictions. More than twenty detailed case studies provide real-life examples of ways to implement the interventions.




Global Perspectives on ADHD


Book Description

Examining ADHD and its social and medical treatments around the world. Attention deficithyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been a common psychiatric diagnosis in both children and adults since the 1980s and 1990s in the United States. But the diagnosis was much less common—even unknown—in other parts of the world. By the end of the twentieth century, this was no longer the case, and ADHD diagnosis and treatment became an increasingly widespread global phenomenon. As the diagnosis was adopted around the world, the definition and treatment of ADHD often changed in the context of different psychiatric professions, medical systems, and cultures. Global Perspectives on ADHD is the first book to examine how this expanding public health concern is diagnosed and treated in 16 different countries. In some countries, readers learn, over 10% of school-aged children and adolescents are diagnosed with ADHD; in others, that figure is less than 1%. Some countries focus on medicating children with ADHD; others emphasize parent intervention or child therapy. Showing how a medical diagnosis varies across contexts and time periods, this book explains how those distinctions shape medical interventions and guidelines, filling a much-needed gap by examining ADHD on an international scale. Contributors: Madeleine Akrich, Mari J. Armstrong-Hough, Meredith R. Bergey, Eugenia Bianchi, Christian Bröer, Peter Conrad, Claire Edwards, Silvia A. Faraone, Angela M. Filipe, Alessandra Frigerio, Valéria Portugal Gonçalves, Linda J. Graham, Hiroyuki Ito, Fabian Karsch, Victor Kraak, Claudia Malacrida, Lorenzo Montali, Yasuo Murayama, Sebastián Rojas Navarro, Órla O'Donovan, Francisco Ortega, Mónica Peña Ochoa, Brenton J. Prosser, Vololona Rabeharisoa, Patricio Rojas, Tiffani Semach, Ilina Singh, Rachel Spronk, Junko Teruyama, Masatsugu Tsujii, Fan-Tzu Tseng, Manuel Vallée, Rafaela Zorzanelli




The ADHD Workbook for Kids


Book Description

In The ADHD Workbook for Kids, an internationally-recognized child psychologist presents more than forty ten-minute games and activities children with ADHD can do to learn to make friends, gain confidence, and manage out-of-control behaviors.




The Effect of ADHD on Relationships


Book Description

Do you or a loved one have ADHD and struggle with maintaining healthy relationships? Do you find yourself constantly frustrated and misunderstood in your relationships because of ADHD? Why is it so difficult to love someone with ADHD? Couples in healthy romantic relationships often face challenges such as communication breakdowns, trust issues and differences in values and lifestyles. In relationships where one partner has ADHD, these challenges can be amplified. ADHD can cause difficulties with organisation, time management and emotional regulation, which can lead to misunderstandings and frustration. Additionally, the partner who does not have ADHD may feel neglected or unimportant due to their partner's distractibility and forgetfulness. However, with the right strategies and support, couples can navigate these challenges and build a strong and loving relationship. Couple dynamics are unique and often complex, yet I highly recommend that you read this book if the following feelings surface in your relationship: ·Loneliness, ignored and unappreciated. ·Feeling tired of taking care of everything on your own and being the only responsible party in the relationship. ·Anger and emotional stalemate. Anger and resentment permeate many interactions with the ADHD spouse. ·Feeling that you cannot count on your partner. You always have to organise everything to make up for his or her forgetfulness. ·Frustration. A spouse without ADHD might feel as if the same issues keep coming back over and over again. ·Sometimes it seems that your partner does not care about you. ·Exhaustion and depletion. The spouse without ADHD carries too many responsibilities and no amount of effort seems to fix the relationship. You experience a lot of resentment, but also recognise the need to try and understand the situation. It can be a challenging and complex process. If you are the person with ADHD: ·You may feel constantly criticised for what you do. ·You may not feel respected as an equal when you tend to avoid your partner. ·You may feel like your partner is in control of every aspect of your life. ·You may feel ashamed. Sufferers of ADHD often hide a large amount of shame, sometimes compensating with bluster or retreat. ·You may feel overwhelmed, secretly or overtly, by the constant stress caused by ADHD symptoms. · You may feel different. The brain is often racing, and people with ADHD experience the world in a way that others do not easily understand or relate to. ·You find that the partner without ADHD complains, nags and becomes increasingly resentful, while the ADHD partner feels judged and misunderstood, becomes defensive and pulls away. The individual with ADHD often has a sense that something is wrong, but may struggle to identify the root cause. They may have received a misdiagnosis earlier in life or only learned about their condition as an adult, leading them to believe they were unintelligent or incapable for much of their life. This book is a culmination of years of experience and expertise in maintaining healthy romantic relationships. It contains valuable insights and techniques that are essential to saving your relationship from potential pitfalls that could lead to a breakup. Do not wait until it is too late – get your hands on this book now to safeguard your relationship's future.




ADHD on Trial


Book Description

In 2006 Philadelphia, graduate student Jonathan Love sued the organization that publishes the Law School Admissions Test. Love had attained average scores on the test, but claimed he should have been given extra time because he qualified as a person with a disability - and allowances provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act - due to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The case, which drew in author psychologist Michael Gordon as an expert witness for the defense, reached federal court and resulted in a precedent-setting ruling still as controversial as the disorder that triggered the trial. In this work, Gordon takes us into the courtroom and behind the scenes with attorneys and experts to look not only at this trial, but more than a dozen others that have involved ADHD or other psychiatric diagnoses, and the questions they raise, including what the real meaning of disability is, how malingering can be an issue with psychological disorders, and what the more far-reaching effects for the public can be if accommodations are provided to people who do not have a legally-defined disability. When does deference to an individual with a disorder like ADHD begin to invade the rights of the non-disabled? Controversy fills these pages, from discussion of ADHD and the debate over its justifiability as a disability to public reactions regarding the ruling in Love's case and others. Comparisons and contrasts are also raised between the Love trial and earlier cases involving people claiming psychological disabilities who fought actions by The National Board of Medical Examiners, United Airlines, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, the Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine, and other organizations. Do the decisions help or harm disability rights and people with disabilities? Gordon offers the insights not only of a psychologist, but a seasoned legal insider who has testified as an expert witness at many of the trials.




Behavioral Neuroscience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Its Treatment


Book Description

In this volume there is a strong emphasis on translational science, with preclinical approaches suggesting new directions for development of new treatments. Individual chapters describe how neuroimaging, neuroendocrine, genetic and behavioral studies use powerful research tools that are offering a completely new understanding of the factors that increase vulnerability to ADHD. The clinical impact of co-morbid problems, especially obesity and substance misuse, are highlighted and explain what such problems can tell us about the etiology of ADHD, more generally. Reviews of the pharmacology of established drug treatments for ADHD justify an exciting novel theory for their therapeutic actions and address questions about the effects of their long‐term use.