Feb
19
New book on ADD / ADHD
February 19, 2008 | 1 Comment
Yes, I plan to read it. How about you?
Feb
3
Not always a bad thing…
February 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The Monster in the Attic has caused many problems throughout my life, and many of them are listed in this article.
But I’ve found the Monster to be beneficial in some areas. For example, I was a mediocre student (due mainly to focusing issues) and day-dreamed or clowned my way through most of my school years. Yet, I was a voracious reader if I found a subject that intrigued me, and I absorbed information like a sponge. I rarely studied, got kicked out of class and never did homework, but still managed to crank out a “B -” average and a decent SAT score.
I work in creative fields, and my ability to brainstorm at hyperspeed has been a huge asset.
Make no mistake…the Monster is problematic, especially when it comes to day-to-day minutiae. But there are silver linings if you just look for them.
Jan
29
ADD / ADHD Testing
January 29, 2008 | 1 Comment
I’ve had a few folks email and ask about the ADD / ADHD testing process.
I’m traveling this week, but wanted to get one post in for the faithful readers. Here goes:
I struggled with the Monster in the Attic all of my life, but it didn’t get really bad until I had three small kids under foot. The chaos got out of control and my stress levels increased as my work output decreased. I had scrambled eggs in my head, at age 41.
My mother (a college counselor) and my wife (teacher) both suggested I get help, and I resisted. That is, until I read ‘Driven to Distraction.’ The book changed my life, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking treatment.
Jan
23
Well, is it, or isn’t it?
January 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
“Fidgeting” doesn’t always indicate ADD/ADHD. Or does it?
Jan
21
Non-drug treatment for ADD / ADHD
January 21, 2008 | 1 Comment
This is an interesting article.
It reads a bit like a press release, but offers some intriguing ideas about Taming the Monster in the Attic.
Jan
20
Cellphones and ADD / ADHD
January 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment
So now it’s cellphones. And purple unicorns, and cotton underwear.
EVERYTHING causes ADD/ADHD, right?
Jan
20
ADD/ADHD Drugs Soar in Major League Baseball
January 20, 2008 | 2 Comments
NEW YORK (AP) — ADD is soaring faster in the major leagues than ERAs, according to statistics cited at Tuesday’s congressional hearing on doping in baseball.
In 2006, there were 35 so-called “Therapeutic Use Exemptions” for drugs, of which 28 were for Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, according to data provided to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by Major League Baseball and the players’ association. In 2007, the exemptions skyrocketed to 111, of which 103 were for ADD and ADHD.
A copy of the data was obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press
“This demands an explanation. There’s something fundamentally wrong them going from 28 to 103,” said Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of committee that determines the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned-substances list. “If we had this percentage increase in the general population, it would be on the evening news as a national epidemic. It’s an outrageous number.”
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates 3 percent to 5 percent of children have ADHD, according to its Web site.
Wadler said the ban on amphetamines in 2006 appears to be tied to the increase.
“I can’t prove anything. Certainly you put all the facts together, I think that’s a reasonable explanation,” he said. “Might there be others? I guess so. It could be an anomaly year of some sort.”
According to the MLB data, 1,354 players were subject to testing last year. That means 8.2 percent received permission from their team physician and Dr. Bryan Smith, baseball’s independent program administrator, to use Ritalin and Adderall, stimulants better known as treatments for hyperactive kids.
“That would make that almost eight times the normal adult usage in our population,” said Massachusetts Democrat John Tierney, who brought up the issue.
Baseball already has made changes in the TUE process for 2008. Before a player will be allowed to use a drug, the team physician must send the prescription to the independent administrator for approval before the player uses the substance.
“We don’t want abuse. We don’t want guys taking Adderall to supplant their need for amphetamines,” two-time NL MVP Dale Murphy said at a debate on performance-enhancing drugs.
MLB plans to convene a meeting of physicians and experts early next month and has approached the players’ union about participating.
“This is a topic on which we intend to be proactive, to make sure that we’re adequately handling the issue of TUEs,” said Rob Manfred, baseball’s executive vice president of labor relations.
AP Sports Writers Howard Fendrich in Washington and Rachel Cohen in New York contributed to this report.