Anyone read Healing ADD by Dr. Daniel Amen?

[Unseelie]

I'm waiting on an interlibrary loan to listen to the audiobook, but the bits I've seen about how he approaches ADHD is very interesting. It's also a relief to see someone come at it from such an open and curious angle. Really excited to listen to the book when it comes in.

I saw a lot of myself in temporal lobe ADHD when I was watching vids and reading some about the 7 types. That and ring of fire ADHD, which looking back may be why I was misdiagnosed with bipolar 1, what with the moodiness in ring of fire and the almost psychosis type stuff in temporal lobe.

Anyone here read this book or heard of this view on ADHD? Do you resonate with any of the types?

[Hidden]

I have listened to several of Daniel Amien's audiobooks. I really like Daniel's writing and, in particular, I think that his idea about killing “automatic negative thoughts” (or ANTs) is outstanding. BUT, please do not be suckered into paying for one of Daniel's SPECT scans. I would also be very skeptical of buying any of Daniel's expensive supplements. Daniel almost lost his medical license, and I personally refuse to call him a doctor, because like a lot of smart people, he decided that he would rather make lots of money, and actually helping people was a lower priority. Maybe the supplements are ok, but the prices are very high and I don't' think the science supports his business drive to push product on unknowledgeable and desperate people - like me. In terms of Daniel's writings on the types of ADHD, I think that they are interesting but I think he oversells the evidence a bit too much here as well. Yes, I almost paid for a SPECT span, but thankfully, a couple of doctors told me not to waste my money - they are very expensive and don't actually tell you much. That being said, I think he has some interesting and possible helpful ideas in terms of treating the various types of ADHD, although when the key to addressing any product is buying Daniel's product I would be very careful about listening to his so-called medical advice (which, of course, he is not legally permitted to give you unless you pay him his $5,000 an hour or more hourly rate).

[Gettingittogether]

Yes I've read through parts of various books by Dr. Amen. In fact, his book was instrumental in me figuring out that I had ADHD.

The brain scan stuff is apparently not really persuasive to a lot of researchers in the field of ADHD. Still I think he offers lots of common-sense tips.

In some ways he's not saying anything that others aren't saying ... we need to exercise, get good sleep, take care of our brains, eat well, meditate ... challenge negative thoughts and on and on ... in addition to medication. Stress is harmful for the brain and so on.

Almost everyone in the field recommends those steps.

The big hurdle is that all of those constructive steps for the brain are REALLY hard for people with ADHD to do consistently. I have meditated for over 30 years and I still find it hard to do consistently. It's funny: my attraction to meditation was one of those signs of my ADHD. There were days when I used to work near home, when I would go into work, drive home for lunch and go into my bedroom and meditate, because otherwise my mind was all over the place. Still it's hard to meditate consistently.

I don't see him as harmful in any way. He's kind of inspiring. Read him and get your spirits lifted.

[valeofraritan]

Funnily enough, when he started on PBS, it irritated me. Of all the well-known doctors and clinicians working on and with ADD/ADHD patients, he's the one I least like or trust. I note that another PBS doctor, Perricone, hawks expensive skin treatments. PBS should be more careful in the quest for programming bc people trust it more than broadcast or cable channels, so it has a duty to do better.

Edward Hallowell, MD and John Ratey, MD, have been doing ADD/ADHD treatment for decades. They've written a bunch of books on the subject. Driven to Distraction is great and may have been the one that got everyone's attention back in the 90s. Personally, I find them more "approachable" bc they're talking to you and not at you. Talking at you always strikes me that someone's trying to sell you something. Also, delve into dealing with the cognitive distortions that help fuel problems, David Burns MD wrote a great book abt that, Feeling Good The New Mood Therapy.

As to the brain imaging as part of ADD/ADHD diagnosis, start here, and then check out some of the articles that will appear on the side of the page.

additudemag.com/brain-scans...

[Nleor623]

Really glad you asked because I found his book at a goodwill and was wondering the same thing. The book is good and validating to me, because seeing inattentive and depressive types of adhd being described with something not as recent, makes me feel less like I'm some faker or something, lol.

I'll be reading whatever info other people have, but my impressions: he's writing about his own research and accomplishments. So, it's a little one sided, and I'd be careful not to take anything too much to heart without finding other sources talking about it. For example, he uses examples of patients he's had with very successful results, but it's not like you have any statistics or stories of the less successful to compare.

I also get the impression that a lot of his focus on "health" is more to sell you their diet and supplement stuff, and hes apparrently a TV doctor type. So there's definitely a money focused or sell-out angle to watch out for.

I still found it a very useful book as far as learning about different expressions of adhd, descriptions of people's experiences confirmed my own suspicions. I also thought the biofeedback stuff was really cool.