ADHD: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Rates of diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are skyrocketing, throughout America and the rest of the world. U.S. rates of youth diagnosis have increased 40% from just a decade ago. Adults with ADHD are now the fastest-growing segment of the population receiving diagnosis and medication. The disorder is painful and sometimes disabling for individuals and tremendously costly for society; yet, widespread misinformation, skepticism, and unanswered questions have jeopardized effective diagnosis and treatment.
This book addresses questions such as:
· Is ADHD a genuine medical condition or a means of pathologizing active and exploratory behavior?
· Do medications for ADHD serve as needed treatments, or are they attempts at social control, designed to bolster profits of pharmaceutical firms?
· Has the ADHD label become a ruse by which parents can game the educational system for accommodations?
· How do symptoms and impairments related to ADHD differ between girls and women and boys and men?
· Why are ADHD medications often used as performance enhancers by college and high-school students?
ADHD: What Everyone Needs to Know® clears the air of the most polarizing and misleading information that abounds, providing straight talk and sound guidelines for educators, policymakers, health professionals, parents, and the general public. It shows the reality of ADHD but does not ignore the forces that have pushed up rates of diagnosis to alarmingly high levels.
Reviews
“This is an essential guide for people who suspect that they or a loved one might have ADHD. In clear, unbiased prose, it addresses the controversies surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder. It is written in a manner that is easily accessible without sacrificing the basic science important to understanding this condition.”
“Many trade books exist on ADHD but exceptionally few are written by expert clinical scientists who have spent their long careers both studying ADHD and working with families and patients with ADHD. And fewer still of those books are this current in harvesting the results of more than 1,000 science articles per year published on the disorder. This is one of those rare few. It contains extensive, useful information not only on the nature of the disorder and its causes and life course but, more importantly, on the best ways to manage the condition. Despite the richness of science-based information it contains, it reads easily. It is clearly a must-read for parents of children with the disorder, teachers who must educate them, and adults with ADHD.”