If you’re reading this blog, you are one of the millions of people who now use the Internet to gain information on medical issues. In a recent survey of consumers, this is where people are looking for medical information.
Most accessed online resources:
53% web M.D.
22% Wikipedia
19% health magazines and websites
16% advocacy group websites
12% YouTube
10% Facebook
10% blocks
9% Pharma company websites
(results from third annual national consumer survey by Makovsky Health and Kelton, 2014)
I would like to take this opportunity to direct your attention to the attitude magazine website that has a large number of webinars from noted academic and professional experts in ADHD. For many with ADHD it’s often easier to watch a video on a specific ADHD topic then to read a book. While many with ADHD can sit and read for extended periods of time, it always struck me as odd that clinicians referred patients to books knowing their ability to sustain attention would be limited, especially in the evening when it medication affect us dwindled.
Explore the webinars on this site as a can be extremely helpful. On this blog site, I will continue to direct my patients in readers to reliable sources of information and clinical insights from my practice not available elsewhere.
Anticipating over 300 attendees, the 13th Annual ADHD Conference for parents, teachers, professionals and adults with ADHD on Saturday, February 22, 2014 from 8:00am to 1:00pm will feature several expert speakers. West Chester University is just outside Philadelphia. Below is the program of speakers and topics.
Marie Paxon, program coordinator, invited me to present on the science of diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adolescents and adults. If you reside in the area, please consider attending because it is a great way to learn a great deal about ADHD quickly and network with people with ADHD and those who offer guidance and treatment. See you there.
ADHD and the Brain: Knowledge Matters Speakers
Marilyn B. Benoit, M.D. is a child and adolescent psychiatrist. She is senior vice president of Clinical and Professional Affairs and chief clinical officer at Devereux. She is a past president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Benoit has served on the faculties of Howard and George Washington Universities and is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center, from which she received the Vicennial Silver Medal of Honor for 20 years of distinguished service.
David W. Goodman, M.D. is assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland in Lutherville and medical director of Suburban Psychiatric Associates, LLC. Dr. Goodman is the author of The Black Book of ADHD.
Marjorie Johnson, LCSW, PCC is a licensed clinical social worker and certified coach who provides leadership and career coaching, training, and counseling. She specializes in helping students and professionals with ADHD. Ms. Johnson serves on Chester County/Main Line CHADD’s Professional Advisory Board and is a professional member of ADDA (Attention Deficit Disorder Association.). She is past president of the International Coaching Federation-Philadelphia chapter and was named the 2011 Small Business Person of the Year by the Exton Chamber of Commerce (PA).
Jesse D. Matthews, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist and has worked with individuals with ADHD for a number of years. He is in private practice at The Center for Psychological Services in Paoli and Ardmore and also works at Holcomb Behavioral Health Systems, a community mental health organization. He evaluates adolescents for substance abuse at the Chester County Youth Center in West Chester and does substance abuse evaluations and treatment in an outpatient program in Kennett Square. Dr. Matthews is an adjunct professor at Immaculata University. Previously, Dr. Matthews worked for six years as a counselor at Hill Top Preparatory School, and he facilitated the Chester County/Main Line CHADD teen ADHD support group for two years.
Joan M. Polka, Ph.D. is a psychologist in the Counseling Center at West Chester University assigned full time to the Act 101 portion of the Academic Development Program (a developmental education opportunity for underprepared first-time college students). She is also co-chair of Chester County/Main Line CHADD’s Adult Program and was the 2011 CHADD Educator of the Year.
Martin Patwell, Ed.D. is director of the Office of Special Services for Students with Disabilities at West Chester University. He has also been the director of evaluation clinic at Landmark School. He has presented “Trends and Issues in Disabilities in Higher Education” at Jiangxi University, Nanchung, China. He is also a consultant to The College Board, Inc.
Preeti Singh, M.S. is the associate director of the Twardowski Career Development Center at West Chester University.
Sharon Watson, M.S. is assistant director of West Chester University’s Office of Services for Students with Disabilities. She has over 20 years of experience working with students with learning differences, mental health, and physical disabilities.
8:30 a.m. Welcome
Chester County/Main Line CHADD and West Chester University
West Chester University
Earl F. Sykes Student Union
110 West Rosedale Avenue
West Chester, PA 19383
8:45 –9:15 a.m.
ADHD Across the Lifespan
Marilyn Benoit, M.D.
Research has proven that ADHD does not end with childhood. Over the course of a lifetime, the scenarios change, but the struggles might not. What does ADHD look like at each stage of life and what is the impact? This fast-paced-but-thorough presentation will help attendees learn more about this complex disorder and will provide a summary of current treatment and management options. Don’t miss this valuable session to gain a better understanding of childhood, teen, and adult ADHD.
9:15 –10:30 a.m.
ADHD and the Brain – What You Need to Know About Treatment and Management
David W. Goodman, M.D.
Those with ADHD express frustration with the disorder’s symptoms: trouble focusing, procrastination, forgetfulness, and difficulty filtering out distractions. Some people have a slower processing speed and others struggle with impulsivity. To make things even more complex, many people with ADHD will have a co-occurring condition like learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, or autism. The good news is that treatment is available, and there are strategies to counteract these challenges. Dr. Goodman will provide an overview of medications and pro-social treatments for ADHD and discuss common co-occurring conditions in this valuable presentation. Children and adults report that they receive unhelpful advice like “try harder,” “start applying yourself,” and “pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” Attend this session to learn about evidence-based treatments for ADHD and how they make a difference.
10:45 –11:30 a.m.
ADHD and Social Interactions
Jesse Matthews, Psy.D.
Social interactions can consist of anything from a casual conversation with an acquaintance to daily communication with loved ones. This can present challenges for both children and adults with ADHD. Those with ADHD may feel isolated and disconnected from others. They may find that executive function challenges can cause them to misinterpret social cues, which are usually unspoken or vague. The invisible challenges of impulsivity, forgetfulness, and an inability to regulate emotions can have a negative effect on forming and maintaining friendships. Fortunately, new information and strategies are available through the field of social learning and social cognition. Attend this session to learn more about this exciting topic and how to apply it to everyday life.
• Facilitated activity: Mindfulness Meditation and ADHD
Marjorie Johnson, LCSW
Mindfulness meditation is a way to calm the mind and relax the body while increasing the ability to sustain attention and manage distractibility. Hear about compelling research and daily applications of mindfulness meditation. Practice it to experience the deep relaxation it generates.
11:45 a.m. –1:00 p.m.
Becoming Successful in College and Early Career
ADHD and Career Success
Preeti Singh
Career development is a life-long process, involving decision making, self-awareness, exploration, preparation, and experience. What tools are available to help students successfully navigate this territory? This brief presentation will provide an overview of resources and strategies.
WCU Student Panel
Sharon Watson, facilitator
Current students at West Chester University who have “been there, done that” tell it like it is. Their transitions, challenges, and routes to where they are today provide a look at what real students face in college.
• Facilitated activity: ADD and Loving It?!
This video blends humor, hope, and science to dispel the myths about adult ADHD. Comedian Patrick McKenna seeks a diagnosis for adult ADHD and learns the facts from an impressive array of experts. Funny, moving, and transformative, this fascinating documentary will hold you spellbound!
My discussion with Dale Archer, M.D. (psychiatrist, best-selling author) on WYPR September 27, 2014 about ADHD, over- diagnosis, and over-prescribed medications was lively. While Dr. Archer advocates “medication as a last resort” and “the goal of treatment is to get off medication” after learning new skills, I offered the research on medication benefit and a quality of life measure to evaluate medication utility. Certainly, treatment of ADHD at all ages incorporates behavioral therapy, organization skills, couple/family/individual therapies, and academic/occupational accommodations, in addition to medication, when indicated.
For those of you interested, the radio broadcast is available and runs 35 minutes. I invite you to listen and decide for yourself the merits of each position. Ultimately, this information best serves those who have ADHD and their families.
Style magazine in Baltimore has published an article in September 2012 edition on stimulant misuse in high school students in Baltimore. The article distinguishes between the use of stimulants for performance enhancement by students vs the use of stimulants to treat legitimately diagnosed ADHD in young adults. I, along with Dr. Alain Joffe, director of Johns Hopkins University’s Student Health Center, were interviewed for our thoughts on this important issue. Students interviewed offer their perspective as well.
The take-home point for me as a psychiatrist treating late adolescents and young adults is to obtain a complete history of ADHD since childhood confirmed with input from a parent. Other co-existing psychiatric and medical condition are also considered. Only after I am confident of the presence of ADHD do I write a prescription and recommend behavioral/organizational therapy.
As it is important to treat those who need medication, it is equally important to not prescribe to those students who don’t have ADHD.
Although the gender distribution of ADHD in children is 3 boys to 1 girl, in adults the distribution is 1 woman to 1 man. Women are being diagnosed more often in adulthood because they usually don’t have the disruptive behavior in childhood like the boys. Women and men get diagnosed because the persistent inattention, distractiblity and disorganization impairing their ability to complete tasks in a timely fashion.
HealthWomen.org invited me to be the medical editor on their article on this subject so as to insure the accuracy of the information. I was pleased to review, edit and update the information for their readers.
I invite you to take a look. This is a long and comprehensive review with up-to-date information to help women, men and their family with ADHD.
With the increasing shortage of ADHD stimulant medications, Maryland Public Television invited me to a live interview by Jeff Salkin on Direct Connection with Jeff Salkin on January 30, 2012 Monday at 7:30 pm. I had been invited on his show a few years ago about adults with ADHD.
I will discuss the possible explanations for these shortages in addition to the large picture of drug shortages across all medication categories. As is frequently the case, there is no one cause. I hope to lay out the explanations. More importantly, I’ll offer suggestions to work around these shortages for you and your family members.
Join us this Monday night. I want to thank my patients who have offered their stories about the impact of the shortages.
Because of my recognized expertise in ADHD, I’m honored to have been invited to speak as a featured quest on Maryland Public Television’s program, Direct Connection with Jeff Salkin on January 30, 2012 Monday at 7:30 pm.
I will be addressing the stimulant shortage over the past several months-possible causes, the routes of manufacturing medications, the distribution of medications across the country, the sporadic availability of these medications, suggestions to physicians and patients on how to avoid shortages or alternative medications when shortages occur.
This problem now plagues those patients and family who use these medications in order to function at their highest level. The absence of medication may severely compromise ones ability to perform consistently thus increasing anxiety.
Join us and listen to my commentary and suggestions.
ADHD (or ADD without the H) is a disorder whose symptoms start in childhood. Two of three of these children will continue to have symptoms to an impairing degree beyond age 18 . Of the adults with ADHD who are diagnosed in adulthood, only 25% were ever diagnosed as a child (Kessler et al 2007). One reason for the under-identification of children with ADHD is that only those children who are disruptive come to the attention of teachers and parents. Non-disruptive children with ADHD may not get diagnosed until later in life. So the question is, what would cause them to seek an evaluation later in life. “If you lived with it all this time, it can’t be that bad.” Right? Well, not exactly.
In our recent publication on ADHD throughout the Lifespan (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry February 2012), we discuss the developmental phases of life that prompt the question “Why is my ADHD bothering me now?” When reading this article, please note the authorship of internationally recognized experts in the field that include Drs. Atilla Turgay (Canada), Phillip Asherson (United Kingdom), myself and Russell Barkley (United States).
Each developmental phase of life takes on more responsibility. For example, moving from middle school to high school means the academic demands and workload increases. As you move from high school to college, you need to be able to organize yourself to get to classes, do assignments on time, schedule time for study, sleep, play, and classtime. If you go onto first job, you need to be punctual, respond appropriately to supervisors, and complete work on time. When you get married, you need to negotiate household responsibilties and complete tasks timely and consistently to be a team player in your marriage. And then you go on to have children which adds additional layers of tasks and responsibilities requiring increasing levels of organization and efficiency. How about a job promotion with more tasks and the oversight of others. So, each developmental phase of adult life has its set of tasks and responsibilities and your ability to adapt and compensate becomes more difficult. At some point, your daily performance suffers whether at work or home. At this point, either you or someone close (employer, family, friend) to you will bring it to your attention. Sometime this is done kindly, sometimes it is the result of an argument because you haven’t followed through as expected by others.
Our publication was written for physicians and psychiatrists so that they would understand why an adult with ADHD who had never gotten treatment might come to their office for an evaluation. We hope that this publication will disuade physicians from discounting an adult’s compliant of daily function and look for ADHD when indicated.
If you are not a physician, I think the article is still quite readable for most people and may provoke some thoughts and discussions amongst those effected by ADHD.
Thank you for your time and interest in reading my postings.
