ADHD: The Great Misdiagnosis / Edition 2

by Julian Stuart Haber

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589790476
Publisher:	Oz Publishing, Inc.
Publication date:	09/24/2003
Edition description:	Revised Edition
Pages:	210
Product dimensions:	6.04(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Julian Stuart Haber, M.D. is a practicing pediatrician with Cook Children's Physician Network in Texas. He has served on numerous task forces in the state of Texas and testified before the Senate Working Committee on Education on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He resides in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xiii
	Introduction	1
1	What's a Parent to Do?	7
2	The Name Game	27
3	The Real Thing	37
4	The Imitators	47
5	Marketing the Great Epidemic	81
6	Why Medical Treatments for ADHD?	89
7	Traditional Medical Treatments	99
8	Alternative Therapies	135
9	Treating Coexisting Disorders	153
10	How to Find a Clinician	163
11	Parents and Teachers	167
12	The Schoolhouse Legal Matrix	181
	Afterword	193
Appendix 1	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, Diagnostic Criteria For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder	205
Appendix 2	The American Academy of Pediatrics Definition of ADHD	209
Appendix 3	Colleges and Universities That Offer Programs for Young Adults with Learning Disabilities and ADHD	215
Appendix 4	Helpful Contacts and Organizations	217
Appendix 5	Sample Letter Requesting Special Education Services	219
	Notes	221
	Bibliography	241
	Index	255

Editorial Reviews

Haber advises parents to be cautious and patient and clearly explains other problems that have similiar symptoms. He also explores drug companies' marketing campaigns that he believes led to so many misdiagnoses. Most importantly, Haber explains the different treatments available and suggests ways to find a good clinician.
— Pam Lilley

Cleveland Plain Dealer

This book is a comprehensive, avuncular, discussion of the incresing frequency with which children are diagnosed or misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The information is solid and potentially very helpful.

Infodad.com

Haber explodes myths, relays much scientific information, and makes many practical suggestions.

Booklist

Every parent and every teacher will need personal copies they can dog-ear and highlight.

Margaret Carr

Haber advises parents to be cautious and patient and clearly explains other problems that have similiar symptoms. He also explores drug companies' marketing campaigns that he believes led to so many misdiagnoses. Most importantly, Haber explains the different treatments available and suggests ways to find a good clinician.

Cleveland Plain Dealer - Pam Lilley

This book is a comprehensive, avuncular, discussion of the incresing frequency with which children are diagnosed or misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The information is solid and potentially very helpful.

Infodad.Com

Studies find that ADHD affects three to ten percent of the school-age population, making it the most common psychiatric diagnosis in children. Treating it with Ritalin and other stimulants remains both common and controversial. With a stream of books and videos touting unproven "cures," the publication of these three accessible, scientifically based titles is particularly welcome. Each covers much of the same material: ADHD's causes are biological, mainly genetic; affected individuals are impulsive, unable to concentrate and follow instructions, often hyperactive, and oppositional (there is a subgroup who are "dreamy" but not disruptive); and medication doesn't cure ADHD but does ease the child's difficulties, especially when used in conjunction with home- and classroom-based systems of immediate positive and negative behavioral consequences. Each author, however, has a unique emphasis. Wender, one of the first advocates of using stimulant medication for hyperactivity, emphasizes that ADHD is a lifelong problem for many sufferers and that many ADHD adults would benefit from stimulant treatment. While the title of Haber's book might lead one to assume that he is opposed to the use of medication for treatment of ADHD, this is not the case. Haber, a developmental/behavioral pediatrician, believes that there is a group of children who do indeed suffer from ADHD but that this group is much smaller than other experts estimate. Also, he argues that epilepsy, hearing loss, Tourette's syndrome, and psychological distress owing to family instability or trauma are being mislabeled as ADHD. Barkley (psychiatry and neurology, Univ. of Massachussetts Medical Ctr.) theorizes that the cause of the various behaviors associated with ADHD is the inability to plan ahead--that these children have a very short "time line." His suggestions for treatment don't diverge from the mainstream, however. Because ADHD is such a hot topic, most public libraries should purchase all three titles. As a starting point for parents, or for smaller libraries that can only afford one title, Barkley's book is the first choice; it offers details about finding the right kind of specialists, putting together a disciplinary program, coping with adolescents, and building positive relationships with school personnel.--Mary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, WA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A compact reference that draws on numerous case histories, the book is balanced and informative.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

For concerned parents, this is a 'must' read.

From the Publisher