Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Most of us are familiar with the three types of ADHD that are outlined by the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM):
ADHD - Inattentive Type
ADHD - Hyperactive/Impulsive Type
ADHD - Combined Type
These are the standard types o...
Thanks Eileen for posting about Dr. Amen's work.
Over the last 20 years, I've attended 4 - 6 professional trainings and/or lectures by Daniel Amen, M.D. I'm grateful to him for making SPECT brain scans available to anyone who can afford it and for his willingness to teach us what he's learning along the way.
Clinical experience is valuable.
In regards to the stance that some, not all, researchers and clinicians take with Amen's work, I have to say that if I, after many years of treatment, or a family member, had not made significant progress using available treatments to reduce and manage problematic symptoms related to brain dysfunction, I'd save the money to pay for SPECT brain scans. And I'm willing to bet that many of those critical of Amen's work, if they experienced similar circumstances, would do the same.
A lot of good has come out of Amen's work. By showing us profiles of over and under active areas of the brain, we've learned that each brain disorder has a unique profile, that medication can help, and that substance abuse is damaging to the brain.
Everytime I hear someone spout off that brain disorders are not real, I think back to seeing Zemetkin's PET brain scans of hyperactive children in New England Journal of Medicine in the early 90's - (I read that article over and over again) - and then Amen's SPECT brain scans of adults and children in the years that followed. Those images convinced me that brain disorders are real and benefit from treatment.
I also believe that these types of brain scans best serve those who are either resistent to treatment or are not responding well to treatment. The cost of a SPECT brain scan is minimal when compared to the cost of repeated hospitalizations or chronic unemployment or underemployment.
I think it also worth mentioning that Amen himself has an anxiety disorder, both his wife and at least two of his children have AD/HD, and through use of a SPECT brain scan, he was able to determine the cause of a significant behavioral change in his nephew that required surgery - (he had a tumor the size of a golf ball in one of his temporal lobes; interestingly, many of the surgeons approached to remove the tumor refused to do so because the tumor was not yet affecting the child physically).
Dr. Amen could have reserved the use of SPECT for himself and his family only. Lucky for us, he didn't.
If I only read one book by Dr. Amen, my choice would be Healing ADD: The Breakthough Program That Allows You To See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD. It's a horrible title - (AD/HD symptoms can be reduced but not eliminated) - but it's a good book, and also overviews medication, nurtritional supplement, and diet strategies for each subtype.
grandma lise
Thanks for your view on this. I have had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Amen on two occasions and found him inspiring, insightful and honest about his work. I am sorry this is not available to more people and also found the brain scan images fascinating. I thought, however, it was important to let people know both sides of this issue.
Eileen
I agree Eileen. It's important to be fully informed about all diagnostic and treatment options. As always, good post!
grandma lise
Daniel Amen is viewed as a bad joke by most, soaking money from parents for unsubstantiated, unsupported treatments and diagnoses.