Why adhd doesnt exist

Add a high-powered PR firm eager to make money for Harper Collins on this sham of a book, and you have an international online sensation. Listen closely to what they really say. You will find they unabashedly make unfounded statements that only worsen stigma and misinformation, such as the quotation from Saul above. Moreover, they do this while burnishing their own lackluster image. These are not compassionate people. They are not even smart or up-to-date physicians.

Thank you for understanding why I am not providing links to the stories below. I refuse to give them the web traffic they desperately seek. These alleged news organizations harken to the old days of Yellow Journalism.

Richard Saul, MD, is a virtual unknown neurologist in Illinois with little prominence and no history of publication. Yet, with this broadside, he finds himself elevated to equal footing to—or above— the preponderance of medical evidence. From thousands of scientists. He confuses the myriad potential symptoms of ADHD for dozens of separate conditions. Dopamine affects so many different aspects of physiology — sleep, vision, gastric motility, hearing, to name a few.

But instead of displaying a grasp of this, he cites — for example with vision problems — material from the eyeglass chain store Lenscrafters! Read it. He points to obesity, learning disabilities, auditory processing disorder, neurospatial dysfunction, sensory processing disorder, visual impairments, sleep disorder, substance abuse, and more as separate conditions—despite the common neurophysiology shared with ADHD in general.

Not to be questioned. Perhaps it went to his head? Read this book carefully. Saul seems to love nothing better than taking people with ADHD back to his childhood, when few recognized ADHD and consequences through the lifespan were painful.

Before it was published, the book had already been translated into German and perhaps other languages. I include the photos depicting their idea of children with ADHD. Columnist Kyle Smith writes from the press release. Patients show up at the clinic with their own ADHD diagnoses these days, simply because ADHD is in the air all around us — and because they want to score some delightful drugs like Adderall or Ritalin, or because their parents want an easy way to get them to sit down and shut up.

Adderall and Ritalin are stimulants, though, and the more you take them the more you develop a tolerance for them, which can lead to a dangerous addiction spiral. Substance abuse has long cast a long shadow with the human species. The fact that some people abuse stimulants does not argue against the legitimacy of ADHD and the medications used to treat it. But it substituted an even more offensive photo. This is all too common, and it shows that neither the editors nor the graphic designers share a clue about ADHD.

ADHD is about children and adults who have a valid neurocognitive condition that affects self-regulation. Yes, some children with ADHD are rambunctious and even dangerously aggressive. But many are shy and conflict-averse. Interestingly enough, this news.

Still, the paper qualifies as a full-fledged Hall of Shame honoree by running this headline…and these photos. Finally and perhaps predictably, The Washington Times makes a mockery of reporting by running this, below. Now more than ever, vetting news sources and experts is critically important. These headlines represent only a small slice of what is happening not only in ADHD coverage but every other topic of importance. Yes, even in this barebones website, Saul did not notice that medicine is misspelled.

We always want to address challenges with the right diagnosis. That requires parents being pro-active in reading and learning so they can pursue the best care for their child. But make no mistake: A physician who claims that ADHD is not a valid disorder is lying to you—and maybe to himself. You are absolutely right Ty. Dreadful piece of journalism. How about illustrating where his arguments are false. Over my year career in behavioral neurology and treating patients with ADHD, it has been in the past decade that I have seen these diagnoses truly skyrocket.

Every day my colleagues and I see more and more people coming in claiming they have trouble paying attention at school or work and diagnosing themselves with ADHD. But can we really lump all these people together? What if there are other things causing people to feel distracted? Ever since , when Dr. But regardless of the label, we have been giving patients different variants of stimulant medication to cover up the symptoms.

It will probably bother you. How many of us can claim that we have difficulty with organization or a tendency to lose things; that we are frequently forgetful or distracted or fail to pay close attention to details? Under these subjective criteria, the entire U. However, there are some instances in which attention symptoms are severe enough that patients truly need help. Over the course of my career, I have found more than 20 conditions that can lead to symptoms of ADHD, each of which requires its own approach to treatment.

Anybody who practices in the medical or mental health fields these days needs to know a lot about ADHD and the symptoms associated with it. Reading this book is a part of my efforts to be well-informed about the trends, latest research, and current thinking about this topic. Saul's title is provocative, and he has aimed to provoke critical thinking with the book.

While he does not exactly convince me that ADHD "does not exist," he does helpfully differentiate between ADHD and several other d Anybody who practices in the medical or mental health fields these days needs to know a lot about ADHD and the symptoms associated with it. While he does not exactly convince me that ADHD "does not exist," he does helpfully differentiate between ADHD and several other disorders that have overlapping symptoms.

Included are detailed descriptions including case studies of patients with giftedness, sensory processing disorder, learning disabilities, substance use, vision and hearing problems, and more disorders that are often missed and untreated in favor of the quick easy ADHD label and treatment via stiumulant medication.

The quick labeling and treating with meds has costs. Saul is very concerned about these missed conditions, saying "treatment delayed is treatment denied. A critical reader might be skeptical about the rosy outcomes conveyed, once each person was properly diagnosed and frequently given the appropriate medication. He also makes the case, perhaps not strongly enough, that some distractibility and impulsiveness are a part of NORMALCY and do not necessarily merit a diagnosis.

They are useful reminders for clinicians. Thoroughness in evaluation is certainly called for. There is nothing breathtakingly new here.

However, the book is highly readable and neatly laid out. Saul's discussion of the trends of overdiagnosis and overmedication related to both consumer and provider behavior is concise and builds a good framework for the rest of his argument. He gives some pointers to those evaluating for ADHD and offers some lifestyle tips for those who struggle with ADHD symptoms but would not benefit from or qualify for diagnosis.

The charts in the book make a good resource, quickly delineating the disorders addressed in the book and some of the main symptoms. He closes with a remark about the importance of mindset in dealing with these ADHD symptom-related challenges. If we think the worst and focus on what's wrong, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is always so important to think of the big picture and keep things in perspective. Feb 06, Robin added it. This book seriously angers me.

Fortunately, my tiny attention span didn't make it to the end. Doctors like Saul contribute to stigmatize ADHD and just provide unsustained arguments to those calling us "character-flawed, disorganized, difficult-to-handle, lazy, undisciplined, over-emotional poseurs". If a college student made such vague, pretentious claims, he would be facing an exp This book seriously angers me.

If a college student made such vague, pretentious claims, he would be facing an explosion of red ink. But Saul wavers on, tossing out a plethora of empty nonsense that can't possibly be proven. He starts promising, talks about the chemical imbalance that causes attention problems, but then goes on making up his own conclusions, thereby disregarding all modern insights.

His claim that brain dopamine deficiency can be detected in future! Obviously, incorrect ADHD diagnoses can be harmful, and other causes should always be considered. But this is the kind of rhetoric that causes ADHD to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with an excess of other things.

Too many doctors, pedagogues and psychologists are still doubting the mere existence of ADHD. Teachers, family, partners and friends have no understanding of attention deficit whatsoever. In conclusion, this book is a complete waste of time for those seeking guidance on ADHD. It's a mockery to intelligent people who were undiagnosed for years while trying to understand why normal things are so difficult. And it's an insult to anyone trying to break the stigma surrounding mental health.

ADHD is not an excuse, it's a daily reality. View 2 comments. The book follows a template for every single chapter: "Here's disorder A. It completely explains ADHD in this subset of cases. In fact, he identifies a purely neural condition that he claims is unsupported by wider research, but that he "noticed" in his files : low blood serotonin or high blood norepinephrine, according to Saul, are the biological causes of ADHD symptoms.

I don't even want to get into the problems with this statement, but it illustrates well the kind of logical leaps you'll have to put up with.

There is an inferential gap at the root of the book; bridging it will take much more than a clinician armed with a confirmation bias and a truckload of case studies.

Apr 26, Kathleen Maguire rated it it was ok. I love the title and the concept of this book. Because it seemed to promise so much might account for the low rating, because it did not deliver. This author disagrees with ADHD as a diagnosis separate from any other issues.

I agree with this premise, but halfway through the book I began to wonder whether the author was just renaming the same "syndrome" with a catchier phrase. I have a personal stake in this issue. My son "tested" into a coveted gifted program in Chicago Public Schools; but it's I love the title and the concept of this book.

My son "tested" into a coveted gifted program in Chicago Public Schools; but it's not actually a gifted program. It's the same mainstream curriculum and methodology, just more and faster. By mid-second grade it became clear that the administration had a very specific goal: for us to obtain a diagnosis of some syndrome or deficiency -- they were definitely going for ADHD -- that would allow them, legally, to read the test to our child, or to disaggregate his test scores from mainstream scores.

Many parents are just as enthusiastic about such a move, so that later their child will be granted accommodations like extended time on SATs. This diagnosis is rampant throughout the public school system. What I wish this author had explored -- and I'm sure there is fodder for other aspiring writers to do so -- is the relationship between the increasing class sizes, testing demands, and other totally counterproductive educational decisions, such as eliminating art, on the number of ADHD diagnoses across public school systems.

I firmly believe that any ADHD "diagnosis" is at best a copout for school systems who don't have the resources -- financial or intellectual -- for smaller class sizes and a more engaging, authentic curriculum. At worst, it is part of the sinister underpinnings of the pharmaceutical-industrial complex, especially since the most recent version of the DSM-V has arbitrarily lowered its criteria for diagnosing a child with such an "illness.

It's more about redefining the same exact "syndrome" with new words. Very mixed bag, this book is. He also urges the consideration of other conditions rather than leaping straight to medicating both of which are solid pieces of advice for ANY illness.

I will definitely be looking into some of the alternates presented here, starting with lifestyle changes more sleep and exercise, fo Very mixed bag, this book is. I will definitely be looking into some of the alternates presented here, starting with lifestyle changes more sleep and exercise, for a start. On the negative side, he proposes an alternate diagnosis of what amounts to the standard ADHD diagnosis plus positive testing for abnormal levels of neurotransmitters despite evidence that these symptoms also occur without the abnormal levels.

He calls it NDI and urges consideration, even this is in no way a genuine diagnosis and is made up purely of observed symptoms in his own private practice only.

His personal bias for quantitative, purely objective measuring and testing was evident, though he tries to hide it, even though many mental illnesses don't present with many or any non-subjective symptoms. Saul appears to be trying to make a name for himself in this book - the provocative title, the absence of any new information other than his newly made-up and questionable disorder , and the subtle attacks on subjective, non-quantifiable symptoms.

If he were genuinely trying to change the game, so to speak, he would have conducted more thorough research into his theories on NDI in a proper medical setting, not written a controversially-named book to sell. Caveat emptor, dear readers. Jul 28, Magdalena Sacco rated it it was ok. An international team of researchers analyzed data from more than 55, individuals and identified 12 gene regions linked with ADHD. The author essentially wrote a book about psychiatric disorders which are commonly confused for ADHD such as bipolar disorder - but the title and stance is harmful to the many people who truly have ADHD , and struggle in a world where their disability is treated as an excuse and a joke.

ADHD is a serious disorder, and erasing it with attention seeking titles harms people. Sep 06, Saloni rated it liked it. Honestly, I'm conflicted about this book. On the one hand, the author does touch on the very real problem of overprescribing stimulants for ADHD without going through adequate testing.

It is a very real problem and I thought I could almost be convinced that ADHD is a disorder that manifests due to symptoms of an underlying disorder. However, it raises the question, what makes a disorder? Just because dozens of other disorders share similar symptoms doesn't seem to the negate the existence of ADH Honestly, I'm conflicted about this book.

Just because dozens of other disorders share similar symptoms doesn't seem to the negate the existence of ADHD. Again, I could have been convinced. Does this sound familiar? Sounds a little like ADHD if you ask me. However, the author has little novel research or facts and largely fills the book of patient anecdotes in which every patient lives happily ever after having been treated by him. The book had a lot of potential but definitely fell flat in the end, ending on a chapter that sounded more like a self-help book than a well-thought out research conclusion.

Mar 19, Craig Rowland rated it really liked it. I like debunking ADHD. Forget about the bright yellow cover; look at the full stop before the subtitle. That's a way to make your point. Saul is a doctor and neurologist who has decades of experience in the field of clinical diagnosis.

What he has seen in his practice refutes the bandwagon pop psych misdiagnosis of the nonexistent ADHD: "Working with referred patients over the next decade confirmed what I'd suspected for years: The symptoms of ADHD are better explained by other conditions.

In other words, ADHD, as we currently define it, does not exist. The majority of patients who came to my office with a primary diagnosis of ADHD qualified for other diagnoses that explained their symptoms. Many other patients had no condition at all. For many of those patients who did qualify for other diagnoses, their previous physicians had diagnosed the other conditions as comorbid occurring simultaneously with ADHD.

Once I treated what I saw as the primary diagnosis the non-ADHD diagnosis , the attention-deficit and hyperactivity symptoms usually disappeared, leading me to believe that 'ADHD' was a product of other primary conditions, and not a condition on its own. By getting to the bottom of a diagnosis, he can target the underlying condition and in so doing, "cure" the ADHD as well. Could one's ADHD be a symptom of poor vision? Or of not getting enough sleep?

Obsessive-compulsive disorders, Tourette syndrome, Fetal alcohol syndrome or Asperger syndrome? Substance abuse or hearing problems? Even gifted children exhibit signs of ADHD if they are not stimulated enough in class because they are too advanced for the material. When meeting with patients, Saul described how he conducts an examination. Instead of meeting with them for a rushed yet altogether typical seven-minute consultation--often with a prescription for Ritalin already pre-written--he does a full check, which may include: vision and hearing tests, blood tests, urinalysis, allergy tests, genetic tests, and even EKG's, EEG's and CT scans.

The majority of these tests will not provide their results immediately. So many patients diagnose themselves with ADHD before they even set foot inside a doctor's office that many physicians find it difficult to contradict a patient intent on leaving with a specific prescription.

Saul will have none of that. Prescription drugs are not placebos, and a drug prescribed unnecessarily will have deleterious effects: "Stimulants are a Band-Aid solution to an underlying problem, but they are much worse than a bandage because they have the potential to create new problems for those who use them.

Many of the case examples we will consider in later chapters include children and adults who've lost appetite, sleep, and general well-being to stimulants they didn't need. Practitioners and the general public alike must be much more cautious with stimulants and the potential for addiction when using these drugs, regardless of an ADHD diagnosis. Some have argued that the medical practitioners behind the DSM-IV depression criteria had financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, which motivated them to ensure a high rate of diagnosis for the disorder ensuring, in turn, a larger number of customers for antidepressants.

ADHD sweeps all other conditions under the rug, but since an ADHD diagnosis provides a prescription as well, then, bonus, it has to be right. The patient believes that if he leaves with a prescription--particularly one that he in fact asked for--then all his woes will be healed.

Far too many doctors fail to get down to the bottom of an accurate diagnosis in their rush to see as many patients as possible: "As I've mentioned in detail in Part I of this book, there is an epidemic of ADHD misdiagnosis, and that's the result of the motivations and activities of several groups: medical practitioners, pharmaceutical companies, and patients themselves.

Ongoing media attention devoted to ADHD has made it easy for people to 'diagnose' themselves with the disorder, and for physicians to diagnose ADHD too easily as Justin's neighbor did or prescribe stimulants after asking just a few questions as Yvette's doctor did. Often these struggles are temporary. A minor roadblock or bump on the path of life does not need a prescription, just some confidence and perseverance. The hyper-stressed world of being constantly plugged in either on-line or at work is diverting as well as sapping our attention spans.

No wonder children can no longer pay attention when they're checking their phones every twenty seconds for messages. This impatience is the new normal. Many times I looked down at the page I was on, surprising myself that I had advanced so far in so little time.

Since Saul wrote about over twenty different primary conditions, with the intent perhaps that those who were not affected by any of the other conditions wouldn't bother reading any other chapter except the one that affected them, there was a lot of repetition, especially in the concluding remarks. His mantra, always in italics, drove home his point: As with any disorder mistaken for ADHD, treatment delayed is treatment denied. If you believe you or someone you know has ADHD, spend the time and effort to get a thorough diagnosis.

Mar 13, Sarah rated it did not like it. Did not finish so take my review with a grain of salt. Do not hope you will find some truly enlightened reading on the over-diagnosis of mental illnesses and the like. You will find that our doctor has an issue with only one, ADHD, and that many ADHD cases can be explained by other so-called diseases like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, sensory processing disorder, etc.

He will tell you that the DSM is suspect and then use it to support his claims. He will then, according to our reviewers below Did not finish so take my review with a grain of salt. Anyway, not worth your time, no matter what side of the fence you are on. Great read for professionals and non-professionals I was impressed with the writing style that adhered to the scientific community and general public alike.

The anecdotal cases provided a closer look of the individuals dealing with such debilitating issues that also made for great supportive examples. Feb 17, Taylor rated it it was ok. I like the idea that ADHD is over diagnosed and that you should rule things like vision and hearing out first. But come on, ADHD does not exist but my made up label does? In point of fact many disorders in the DSM are just symptom lists.