back to BOOKS page
back to MEDIA page
back to PARENT TRAINING page

What You Need to Know about Ritalin Read excerpts below More about the book on BOOKS page

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."...