"ADHD" - A subjective diagnosis

Decoding Psychiatric Propaganda
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Subjective diagnosis

ADHD takes several steps to identify

The Arizona Republic
Apr. 7, 2004 12:00 AM

Parents with children who have been diagnosed with attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder should demand a rigorous medical evaluation and
not rely simply on a quick diagnosis or teacher recommendation.

"The diagnosis is subjective, so you have to be careful," pediatric
specialist Dr. Raun Melmed said, adding that doctors usually make a
diagnosis by taking a detailed history. "There are no quick and fancy
tools to do this."

Melmed urges parents to be wary if a doctor sees the child for 15
minutes and then writes a prescription.

Doctors should be following ADHD evaluation guidelines set up by the
American Academy of Pediatrics, he said, which include testing for
other disorders and evaluation forms for parents and the child's
teacher.

He said parents should follow their gut feelings about their child.
Melmed said parents should seek a second opinion if:


• Their child was diagnosed after a brief office visit. An initial
evaluation should take between 30 and 45 minutes.


• Their child was not checked for other problems or disorders, such as
learning disabilities, vision or hearing problems or other medical
conditions.


• Their child's teacher wasn't asked to fill out a
behavioral-evaluation form.


• They still have concerns regarding their child's diagnosis.

Valley pediatrician Gary Auxier said an initial ADHD-evaluation
appointment at his office takes about 45 minutes. He then gives the
parents and the child's teacher a questionnaire to fill out.

"If you haven't had a teacher fill out a behavior rating scale, the
diagnosis may be (reason to be) circumspect," he said. "We often get
the most accurate information from the teacher because they are not as
emotionally involved as the parent."

Teacher perspective also is important to rule out a diagnosis of ADHD,
Auxier said. ADHD is characterized by behavioral problems in all
settings, not just school or home.

"If they are perfect little angels at home but terrors at school, it
may be a school problem," Auxier said. "On the other hand, if they are
perfect at school and wild at home, it could be bad parenting or
problems within the home."

Although teacher input is helpful, doctors caution that school
personnel should not take on the role of diagnosing or pressuring
parents to medicate their kids. In fact, state lawmakers are
considering a bill that would prohibit teachers and school personnel
from pressuring parents to obtain an ADHD diagnosis so their children
can be treated with drugs.

Members of the national group Parents for Label and Drug Free
Education urge parents to ignore a diagnosis of ADHD. They say the
disorder doesn't exist and that children with symptoms are suffering
from something else.

"There are underlying causes of a child's behavioral problems," said
Rebecca Noble, vice president for the Arizona chapter of the
organization. "The child could simply not like his teacher or the kid
sitting next to him. He could have nutritional deficiencies or food
allergies or environmental allergies or problems at home."


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Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...7edadhd07.html
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"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical
abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited
to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable
doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In
psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental
disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between
physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of
psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and
marketing campaign." ~Dr. Fred Baughman, Neurologist.

Decoding Psychiatric Propaganda
http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters

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