ADHD - How To Assess Them Critically

ADHD - How To Assess Them Critically

You are probably besieged by articles on ADHD from a myriad of sources and you may have a few problems in sifting through the dross. Given that the United States manufactures and consumes 90% of the world's supply of methyphenidate (Ritalan and Concerta) which is basically an amphetamine, you can see the need to tread with caution in reading articles on ADHD. Those articles may be written by doctors and pediatricians who are in cahoots with the pharmaceutical companies.

The second problem is that the World Health Organisation is alarmed at the epidemic of psychostimulant medication which is sweeping America and warns that overdiagnosis of ADHD is a problem. The second warning is that as ADHD is a complex mental disorder and varies so much from child to child, that many doctors and parents are looking for a quick easy solution by prescribing pills. The condition is about behaviour and no medication can treat that. Neither can it change a child's behaviour.

In assessing articles on ADHD critically, we can start at the top. Here we find scholarly and medical articles written in famous journals like Clinical Pediatrics, The American Journal of Psychiatry and the Journal of Child Neurology. These articles are available on subscription but are usually directed at doctors or clinicians. These ADHD articles are usually very dense scientific reading and are not really directed at the general public.

The next layer of articles on ADHD are written by medics and experts and invade multiple sites which are sponsored by the drug companies. They are therefore quite biased and should be viewed as such. If you see the name of the company or one of their mind altering drugs, then you know that you are getting one side of the story. Nothing wrong with that but you need to get a broader more enlightened picture. Other government and public health sites tend to be less biased but not always.

Another group of ADHD articles or blog posts will be on the blogs and forums. You can see here which way the wind is blowing and you will get the full range from wacky treatments including yoga and meditation to endless posts on trying to find the right dosage for a poor child who simply cannot tolerate the side effects of amphetamines. Then there are articles sponsored by the alternative medicine brigade and they can be viewed with some suspicion if they are not upfront about where and how the alternative solutions are manufactured. Questions about FDA registered facilities and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice ) need to be asked and answered.

Not many articles will mention the fact that behavior nodification with or without medication is now the preferred method of treatment for ADHD. This is recommended by the major medical authorities such as the AAP. These then are some of the ways to assess articles on ADHD with a more objective eye.

Source : http://www.articlesbase.com/adhd-articles/articles-on-adhd-how-to-assess-them-critically-873310.html#ixzz0ucGbfCYu