ADHD Does Not Exist: The Truth About Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

by Richard Saul

Overview

In this groundbreaking and controversial book, behavioral neurologist Dr. Richard Saul draws on five decades of experience treating thousands of patients labeled with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder—one of the fastest growing and widely diagnosed conditions today—to argue that ADHD is actually a cluster of symptoms stemming from over 20 other conditions and disorders.

According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 6.4 million children between the ages of four and seventeen have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. While many skeptics believe that ADHD is a fabrication of drug companies and the medical establishment, the symptoms of attention-deficit and hyperactivity are all too real for millions of individuals who often cannot function without treatment. If ADHD does not exist, then what is causing these debilitating symptoms?

Over the course of half a century, physician Richard Saul has worked with thousands of patients demonstrating symptoms of ADHD. Based on his experience, he offers a shocking conclusion: ADHD is not a condition on its own, but rather a symptom complex caused by over twenty separate conditions—from poor eyesight and giftedness to bipolar disorder and depression—each requiring its own specific treatment. Drawing on in-depth scientific research and real-life stories from his numerous patients, ADHD Does not Exist synthesizes Dr. Saul's findings, and offers and clear advice for everyone seeking answers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062266743
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/03/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	394,031
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Richard Saul, MD, is a behavioral neurologist who has been practicing medicine for more than fifty years, consulting with well over five thousand patients diagnosed with ADHD in that time. Dr. Saul has been an attending physician at medical centers, including Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital and North Shore University Health System, and has served as medical director for multiple facilities.

Table of Contents

Author's Note 11

Preface 13

Introduction: The Nonexistent Disorder Called ADHD 1

Part I The Birth of a Crisis

1 Where We Are and How We Got Here 7

2 An Easy Answer: The Role of Cultural Bias 19

3 The Stimulant Epidemic and Side Effects 25

4 A Summary of the Conditions Behind ADHD Symptoms 33

Part II The Conditions and Disorders Responsible for ADHD Symptoms

5 Vision Problems 39

6 Sleep Disorders 51

7 Substance Abuse 65

8 Mood Disorders (Bipolar and Major Depressive Disorder) 79

9 Hearing Problems 93

10 Learning Disabilities 105

11 Sensory Processing Disorder 117

12 Giftedness 129

13 Seizure Disorders 141

14 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 151

15 Tourette's Syndrome 161

16 Asperger Syndrome (An Autism Spectrum Disorder) 171

17 Neurochemical Distractibility/Impulsivity 185

18 Schizophrenia 197

19 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 209

20 Fragile X Syndrome 223

21 Other Conditions 235

Part III Take Action

22 When There's No Diagnosis 253

23 Evaluating and Managing your Symptoms 259

Acknowledgments 273

Notes 275

Index 297

Editorial Reviews

Sure to ruffle some feathers, ADHD Does Not Exist is provocative and pensive.

Booklist

Sure to ruffle some feathers, ADHD Does Not Exist is provocative and pensive.

Booklist

12/01/2013
Behavioral neurologist Saul emphasizes a thorough approach to the diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), asserting that it is overdiagnosed, that correlating stimulant use has reached epidemic proportions, and that the name itself is a symptom descriptor, not a disorder. Saul maintains that knowledge and understanding of the conditions that are often misdiagnosed as ADHD are essential for appropriate and responsible treatment. More than 20 medical conditions and disorders that might be responsible for ADHD symptoms are presented, from hearing and vision problems, learning disabilities, mood disorders, and neurological problems to inherited genetic flaws and environmental factors such as allergies and toxin poisoning. Each chapter is constructed similarly, with an introductory case history, diagnostic clues, prevalence statistics, and treatment approaches. The largest section of the book, "The Conditions and Disorders Responsible for ADHD Symptoms," is an accessible, detailed, and well-documented list of rule-outs for those who are exploring an ADHD diagnosis. VERDICT Essential for parents and teachers.—Kellie Benson, Oakton Community Coll. Libs., Des Plaines, IL

Library Journal

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