Posted by Ictinus on July 19, 1998, at 7:14:14
I am an adult with ADD and have become concerned at the misinformation and poor thinking frequently being expressed about ADD.
The other evening for example Larry King had a group of 'expert' physicians on his TV show. The Ritalin overuse issue came up and the agree consensus was that indeed that it was being overused. This follows a recent JAMA article / AMA policy statement in support of current practices. I guess Dr. Timothy Johnson missed this one issue of JAMA. Note also that the accusation was the Overuse of Ritalin not Overdiagnosis of ADD. I doubt there would be such an outcry if imipramine was the primary therapy for ADD, even though stimulants are better tolerated/safer than tricyclics. Were these guys out frying eggs during their psychopharmacology classes?
Similarly there is a rash of web sites frightening parents and individual from medical treatment of ADD. Many of these site are vendors of nutritional supplements or books that are trying to cash in on a new market. It is commonplace to see pseudoscientific presentations to support their anti-medical claims. And there is the emotional appeal of NATURAL treatments. (Isn't snake venom natural?) One site touts that childhood stimulant therapy is a disqualification from serving in the armed forces -- any truth to this? Another claims that the schools are entirely at fault and homeschooling is the solution. That social worker didn't say if she did her grad studies via home schooling. I ivately I envision an ADD child being homeschooled by an ADD parent!
Recently I have corresponded online with a clinical psychologist who discounts the concept of ADD. He publicly expresses these views on his web site. He doubts about how a kid can attend to playing video games but have ADD or that ADD is biologically based. Since transmitter levels can fall following psychological events, PET scans studies are meaningless he claims. He also discounts ADD since he has so many ADD kids flocking to his office -- often after failed treatment at the hands of physicians. I doubt those successfully treated would stop by his office. Moreover I question whether those flocking were given adequate doses of stimulants, if a second trial of stimulants was undertaken, and if those kids were properly diagnosed.
Perhaps Dr. Bob you would consider an ADD forum where these alternative thinkers could dialog with those in the medical community and others. I think many of us would benefit just from following the threads that would develop.
Thanks for your great site!
Another Bob
poster:Ictinus
thread:155
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19980901/msgs/155.html