Review
"A highly readable, popular account of the ins and outs of this stimulant drug and other treatments for ADHD. This book sheds light at a time when there is too much heat and not enough straightforward information."
--Judith L. Rapoport M.D., Chief, Child Psychiatry, National Institutes of Mental Health
Review
"A highly readable, popular account of the ins and outs of this stimulant drug and other treatments for ADHD. This book sheds light at a time when there is too much heat and not enough straightforward information."
--Judith L. Rapoport M.D., Chief, Child Psychiatry, National Institutes of Mental Health
What You Need to Know About Ritalin
Get the answers you can trust, in language you can understand.
by James Windell
Get the Facts About the Most Prescribed Pill for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
How do I know if I have ADHD? Is ADHD inherited? Will my child outgrow ADHD? Can Ritalin stunt her growth? Should I worry about my teenager abusing Ritalin? What rights does my ADHD child have in school? Can Ritalin make me smarter? How will I feel if I take Ritalin? Can Ritalin cause Tourette's syndrome? Are other drugs as good...or better? GET THE ANSWERS YOU CAN TRUST, IN LANGUAGE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND.
Ritalin is the drug doctors prescribe most often for the millions of Americans who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). If you or your child has been diagnosed with ADHD-or if you suspect ADHD is present-you will want to understand ADHD and Ritalin. This comprehensive, authoritative guide explains all you need to know.
* Key information on how ADHD is diagnosed-and where to find a professional assessment;
* What Ritalin can-and can't-do to control ADHD;
* Medical advice about dosage, side effects, and other drug therapies;
* How to make Ritalin part of a total treatment program with psychotherapy, parent training, and support groups;
* Best solutions to common problems with prescription refills, doses during the school day, working with teachers and school systems, and more...
With a complete resources section, as well as an index, bibliography, and glossary, What You Need to Know About Ritalin should prove to be an educational volume on this subject.
"What You Need to Know About Ritalin is a down-to-earth, nuts and bolts guide through the maze and myths and half-truths which have been promulgated about ADHD. Using the latest empirical research as a jumping off point, the authors rebut common myths about Ritalin and ADHD. Parents are presented with principles for raising a child with ADHD. Adults with ADHD are given advice for coping with emotional and organizational chaos. The highly readable text is replete with examples of real people of all ages with ADHD coping effectively with it. This book will be a valuable edition to the library of every individual who is coping with ADHD or has family members coping with it."
- Arthur Robin, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University, Chief of Psychology at Children's Hospital of Michigan, Co-Director of the Professional Advisory Board of the National Attention Deficit Disorder Association
"A highly readable, popular account of the ins and outs of stimulant drug and other treatments for ADHD. This book sheds light at a time when there is too much heat and not enough straightforward information."
- Judith L. Rapoport, M.D., Chief of the Child Psychiatry Branch, NIMH
Read excerpts of chapters below
Excerpt Chapter 1, What is Ritalin?
"These side effects can range from physical complaints, such as headaches, appetite suppression, and stomachaches, to psychological disturbances, such as sleep difficulties, tearfulness, and irritability. Usually these problems are mild and can be alleviated by adjusting the dosage schedule and modifying eating habits."
Excerpt Chapter 2, What is ADHD?
"While some experts contend that our society is on ADHD-information overload and it's become trendy and over diagnosed, many children will still never be diagnosed or treated. Most of them are girls, despite the fact that three times as many boys are estimated to have ADHD. Girls, more often than boys, have ADD-ADHD without hyperactivity-and the absence of that hallmark symptom often leads diagnosticians astray. Then, too, assessment and treatment tend to seem more urgent when disruptive physical behavior is involved. The first grade boy who jumps around the room and takes swipes at his little friends presents a pressing problem. The little girl who daydreams, in comparison, seems harmless enough.
To others, perhaps. But not to herself."
"While some experts contend that our society is on ADHD-information overload and it's become trendy and over diagnosed, many children will still never be diagnosed or treated. Most of them are girls, despite the fact that three times as many boys are estimated to have ADHD. Girls, more often than boys, have ADD-ADHD without hyperactivity-and the absence of that hallmark symptom often leads diagnosticians astray. Then, too, assessment and treatment tend to seem more urgent when disruptive physical behavior is involved. The first grade boy who jumps around the room and takes swipes at his little friends presents a pressing problem. The little girl who daydreams, in comparison, seems harmless enough.
To others, perhaps. But not to herself."
Excerpt Chapter 3, Was it something I did? The Causes of ADHD
"The genetic explanation was initially suggested by statistics that indicate that adults and children with ADHD have more relatives with the disorder than non-ADHD adults and children. If you have ADHD yourself, there's at least a 33 percent chance that one of your children also will be diagnosed. If you and your spouse both have ADHD, the chance increases. If you are a twin, the chances range from 75 to 91 percent that if one of you has ADHD, the other will, too."
Excerpt Chapter 4, The ADHD Assessment
" 'Lysa Peters' was a little too rambunctious as far as her first-grade teacher was concerned. The six-year-old chattered incessantly and couldn't seem to concentrate on her assignments. 'The teacher sent home a one-paragraph letter to give to our doctor saying that Lisa probably had ADHD,' says Lisa's father, 'John.' 'It worried us, and so we began the process.'
They started with the psychologist in their school district-and that is also where they stopped. Lisa, it turned out, was intelligent and bored, and to top things off, she needed glasses. An accelerated grade-school class and a visit to an optometrist made a world of difference."
"Even the media have jumped on the ADHD bandwagon. During an eleven p.m. newscast in Detroit, a two-minute test was given to help viewers determine 'if you suffer from ADHD' - as if any disorder could be diagnosed from a TV quiz. ADHD has become such a well-known syndrome that people almost seem to have lost sight of the fact that it is a serious condition, needing proper diagnosis and treatment."
Excerpt Chapter 5, If It's Not ADHD, What Else Could It Be?
"Depression is one of the most overlooked medical problems, particularly in young children. There are a number of reasons for this oversight.
First of all, the stereotype of depression as chronic sadness is misleading. Adults tend to internalize symptoms, while children tend to act them out. A depressed adult, for instance, might sleep a lot, while a depressed child might get in fights or stop doing schoolwork.....One of the primary manifestations of depression is an inability to concentrate. Since that's one of the primary symptoms of ADHD too, it's easy to see why one might conceal or be mistaken for the other."
"The symptoms of anxiety, like those of depression, may not necessarily be obvious. The anxious child or adult may appear to be entirely in control. Beneath the surface, however, she may be in emotional agony. Too often children and adults with anxiety disorder are brushed off as "high-strung" or "nervous." Children and adults who are anxious may experience concentration problems - also a hallmark of ADHD and depression."
"This unusual disorder (Tourette's Syndrome) - characterized by varying degrees of compulsive vocalizations, motor twitches, or both - has many points of correspondence with ADHD......It's not surprising that some research has indicated that ADHD and Tourette's are basically the same biochemical malfunction, taken to varying degrees and exhibited in different ways. Some practitioners contend that every person with Tourette's syndrome is also afflicted with ADHD.
Whatever the case may be, the two disorders are so tightly bound together that it's caused some major difficulties in treating them..."
"Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in a child can be agonizing for parents. Most evidence indicates that ODD behaviors, seen predominantly in boys, are not genetic or neurochemical but environmental in origin. Although children without ADHD certainly do exhibit oppositional defiant behavior, ADHD increases the probability that they will develop it and hastens the process.
Oppositional defiant disorder is not simply a matter of whining, refusing to obey, or throwing a temper tantrum. It involves a consistent pattern of hostility and disregard for authority."
"This serious personality disorder (Conduct Disorder) is characterized by a blatant defiance of rules. Criminal behavior and total disregard for the feelings or rights of others are generally hallmarks of this problem. It is highly unlikely that ADHD alone contributes to conduct disorder, nor has it ever been proven to be entirely either genetic or physiologically induced. Most experts agree that conduct disorder is a result of several environmental factors, not the least of which is a hostile family environment..."
"On the surface ADHD and substance abuse appear to have little in common. But the two disorders are similar in several ways. Among their shared characteristics are a predominance in males, a tendency to appear in individuals who are risk takers, and their appearance in conjunction with low self-esteem, depression, and ODD.
Although some symptoms of drug abuse-like slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and needle marks-are obvious, many are subtle and are often perilously similar to the behavioral patterns of ADHD..."
"A learning disability is a specific problem that can impair a child's capacity to absorb and process information. A learning disabled child is often of average or above-average intelligence but lacks the ability to learn in one or more particular areas.
Learning disabilities are common. And since they affect classroom performance, it's easy to see how they can be confused with ADHD....
Sometimes a learning disability is difficult to diagnose because the child is bright enough to compensate for the weakness. It's not unusual, for example, for dyslexia to go unnoticed until adolescence or even adulthood."...
Chapter 1
What is Ritalin?
Chapter 2
What is ADHD?
Chapter 3
Was it something I did? The Causes of ADHD
Chapter 4
The ADHD Assessment
Chapter 5
If It's Not ADHD, What Else Could It Be?
Chapter 6
How to Treat ADHD
Chapter 7
Ritalin: The Facts
Chapter 8
Ritalin Do's and Don'ts
Chapter 9
Other Medications for ADHD
Chapter 10
Psychological Treatment, Parent Training, and Support Groups
Chapter 11
Parenting the ADHD Child
Chapter 12
Educational Interventions
Chapter 13
The Big Picture: Adults with ADHD
Notes
Bibliography
Resources
Glossary
Index