Handbook of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder fitzgerald

Download Download PDF. Translate PDF. Handbook of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD is one of the most prevalent childhood psychiatric disorders of our time. The condition is defined by levels of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that are in impairing and developmentally inappropriate. Increasingly, there is a growing appreciation that for many individuals the disorder may persist into adulthood and be associated with significant social and economic burden.

Read more… Co- Editor: Fitzgerald M. By Geoffrey Mitchell. The best part of this tedious chapter is when the implications of this theory for treatment of ADHD are explored. The discussion that ensues is useful in explaining what ADHD is doing to the affected person, rather than absolving the person from the consequences of ADHD. Most clinicians working in ADHD clinics already know about the veracity of this statement. No patient with ADHD consistently comes on time; some have arrived one week later or a few days earlier.

The second idea is even more down to earth. He advocates that useful treatments should be offered at the point of performance.

The goal of this endeavor is to assist persons with ADHD to exhibit the skills that they have and doing what one knows. There is a good rationale provided for the use of medications in ADHD. The author argues that the only treatment that would bring out improvement in inhibition is a medication treatment with psychostimulants and other medications that can help whilst the medication remains within the brain.

Along with this approach, externalization of motivation is important. Finally, a chronic disability perspective is suggested in the overall management of ADHD. With chapter eight we embark upon the assessment section. In the next four chapters, we learn about the interview techniques, rating scales, and observational measures useful in the assessment of ADHD.

This chapter has a table that gives differential diagnostic tips for distinguishing other comorbid mental disorders from ADHD. I think all clinicians that diagnose and treat ADHD should have this table ready on their desks for quick reference. This chapter is definitely clinician friendly. It now gives us additional information on how to handle legal and ethical issues arising in treating persons with ADHD.

Chapter nine attests that psychological testing is not diagnostic of ADHD. Chapter ten is a must read. It provides ten actual clinical cases to illustrate fine points of applying theoretical knowledge to actual cases. Although most child psychiatrists can identify with these cases from their practices, these vignettes are important to young trainees and academicians involved in research to remind of the overall purpose of assessing and understanding the nature of ADHD; i.

An assessment of adults with ADHD is systematically explored in chapter eleven. Four central issues to the evaluation are defined: establishing the presence of symptoms before age of 12, documenting evidence of impairment across multiple domains, exploring other reasons for the presenting symptoms, and clarification of the existence of comorbid disorders.

The treatment section is the last section, but quite dense with eleven chapters. Parent training treatment format is explored in chapter The next chapter, in contrast, describes parent training in large groups. A COPE model community parent education program is described in regards to the integration of principles involved and the structure of large groups, and with comments on cost efficacy and limitations of this model. He trained at St. He has contributed to National and International Journals on autism another relevant topics.

He has written, co —written, edited or co-edited over 24 books.. Read more. ISBN x.