interesting post on diagnosis of ADHD

[Guest guest]

From the BioExplorer list: " In the largest study of its kind, Cummings and Wiggins (2001) retrospectively examined the records of 168,113 children and adolescents who had been referred and treated over a four-year period in a national behavioral health provider operating in 39 states. Before beginning treatment 61% of the males and 23% of the females were taking psychotropic medication for ADD/ADHD by a psychiatrist, a pediatrician, or a primary care physician. Most of them lived in a single-parent home, and lacked an effective father figure or were subjected to negative and frequent abusive male role models. Behavioral interventions included a compassionate but firm male therapist and the introduction of positive male role models into the child's life. Counseling focused on helping parents understand what constitutes the behavior of a normal boy.

" After an average of nearly 11 treatments with the parent and approximately 6 with child, the percentage of boys on medication was reduced from 61% to 11%, and the percentage of girls on medication went from 23% to 2%. These dramatic results occurred despite very strict requirements for discontinuing the medication, which seems to point to an alarming overdiagnosis and overmedication fo ADD/ADHD and greater efficacy of behavioral intervention than is generally believed to the case by the mental health community. "

From " Destructive Trends in Mental Health: the Well-Intentioned Path to Harm " by R.H. and N.A.Cummings, 2005 and Francis, page 134.The reference is: Cummings & Wiggins (2001) " A collaborative primary care/behavioral health model for the use of psychotropic medication with children and adolescents: The report of a national retrospective study " , in Issues in Interdisciplinary Care, 3(2) 121-128 

Pete-- Van Deusenpvdtlc@...http://www.brain-trainer.com

USA 678 224 5895BR 47 3346 6235The Learning Curve, Inc.