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Contrary to the general public’s beliefs, the large
majority of ADHD’ers are treated by primary care
physicians, such as family practitioners and
pediatricians. There has been a misconception for years
that ADHD had to be treated by a psychiatrist. Nothing
could be further from the truth at this point. Advances
in our knowledge of the disorder and its effects on a
person’s success in life have shown ADHD to be a
hereditary neurochemical disorder and not just an
emotional or psychiatric problem. Primary care doctors
have been receiving fairly detailed training in the
diagnosis and treatment of ADHD and are in a unique
position to understand most of the family dynamics
involved in the social and emotional aspects of the
trait. This understanding allows family doctors to help
integrate ADHD care more effectively with other
professionals such as schoolteachers, psychologists and
counselors.
So, how to you find the perfect doctor to treat ADHD?
- Ask parents of other ADHD children or ADHD
adults about the doctor they see. Parents can tell
when their child is responding to a particular
doctors office visits and treatment. They can give
you a good idea about how a doctor should ask
questions and discuss problems with ADHDers and
their families. Beware of referrals to doctors who
“can make all the problems go away with a pill”. By
themselves, medications rarely help ADHDers learn to
be successful.
- Talk to your family doctor or pediatrician about
those doctors in your area who are trained in and
feel comfortable treating ADHD. The way a doctor
interacts with you and your child during his exam is
important, as it forms a basis for an accurate
diagnosis and treatment. It is important that your
doctor is able to discuss everything openly and in
easy to understand terms, with both you and your
child during his office visit. A common complaint
from a lot of parents of ADHDers is the last doctor
who saw their child never spoke directly to them and
seemed to act like a veterinarian and discussed
problems only with the parent. We feel these
doctors only have a “passing interest” in ADHD and
probably aren’t at ease in treating the disorder.
- Contact support groups such as
CHADD,
for a list of trained and interested doctors in your
area. Not all doctors are motivated to diagnose and
treat ADHD because of misconceptions about which age
groups really share and can display the trait and a
sometimes tendency to still attribute ADHD behavior
to poor parenting, discipline and delinquency.
- The professionals at your local county or state
sponsored mental health department can probably give
you a list of doctors and counselors who treat
ADHD. They may even have staff members who
routinely evaluate and counsel ADHDers.
- Talk to your child’s schoolteacher about doctors
of other ADHD kids that seem to be doing well in her
classes. Teachers are usually the first to be able
to tell that a kid is responding well to ADHD
treatment. Since ADHD is covered under the
disabilities act, federal funding is available for
things such as study guides, books on tape or CD,
and special educational experiences.
I’m sure if you ask around your community, you will
find other resources such as summer and vacation camps
and workshops, parent support groups, and training
seminars that you never knew about. If you come across
a good resource, please let the rest of us know.
Dr. Frank |
