CHADD Launches National AD/HD Education Campaign - Commentary by Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD

Science-Based Initiative Announced at Hill Briefing

LANDOVER, Md., June 17 /PRNewswire/ — Children and Adults with Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) today announced the launch of a national AD/HD Education Initiative at a Congressional briefing co-sponsored by Reps. Jo Ann Davis (R-VA) and Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
Here is the Congress/ House of Representatives in collusion in the fraud of calling ADHD a disease. I recently read that the late Senator Wellstone was responsible for legislation that assured that word of the ADHD "disease" and "epidemic" got out to the US judiciary.

The Mental Health Juvenile Justice Act Clinical Psychiatric News, April, 1999, p 5, would provide $550 million in grants over 5 years to keep mentally ill minors out of jail. Most funds would be used to integrate juvenile detention centers with state and local mental health facilities. "We are criminalizing mental illness" says bill sponsor Paul Wellstone, D- Minn. Republican legislation favors tougher sentencing. Co-sponsored in the House by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) the Wellstone bill would sponsor the education of judges on the availability of mental health services. Kaptur feels the funding goals are overly ambitions. The APA and AACAP support the bill. ]

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Centered on the theme “Just A.S.K.” (AD/HD. Science. Knowledge.), the AD/HD Education Initiative is a comprehensive multi-year campaign created to increase public awareness of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder while dispelling common myths and misperceptions surrounding the disorder.

CHADD’s role as the preeminent source for science-based information and resources will expand as the AD/HD Education Initiative proactively engages legislators, the media, the medical community, educators and the general public through one-on-one meetings, Congressional briefings and a national public service campaign, all of which will highlight the reality of the disorder and the availability of accurate, reliable information.

“The volume of real science about AD/HD is immense.

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
they forever point to the immensity of the evidence, literature, the fact that it is the "most studied" disorder of all]

Unfortunately, junk science and misinformation have increasingly dominated public discussions about AD/HD, causing confusion in the minds of many,” said E. Clarke Ross, D.P.A., chief executive officer of CHADD, and father of a child with special challenges. “By reverting the focus to legitimate science, the AD/HD Education Initiative aims to clear up any confusion surrounding the disorder and works to get people the help they need.”

AD/HD is a neurobiological disorder.

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
this is a lie and a fraud]

.(1) that affects three-to-five percent of school-age children, according to the American Psychiatric Association and peer-reviewed, published studies.(2,3,4) AD/HD is characterized by developmentally inappropriate impulsivity, attention, and in some cases, hyperactivity. Until recently, it was believed that children outgrew the disorder in adolescence because of an observed decline in hyperactivity during this period. It is now known that AD/HD nearly always persists from childhood through adolescence and that many symptoms continue into adulthood. Current research reflects rates of roughly two to four percent among adults.(5)

Individuals with the disorder can be very successful in life, according to Peter Jensen, M.D., director of the Center for the Advancement of Children’s Mental Health and Ruane Professor of Child Psychiatry at Columbia University, but without proper identification and treatment, AD/HD may have serious consequences, including school failure, family stress and disruption, depression, problems with relationships, substance abuse, delinquency, risk of accidental injuries, and job failure.(6)

“Over the last decade we have witnessed substantial advances in our ability to accurately screen, identify and assess children with AD/HD and other significant learning, emotional, and behavioral needs,” said Dr. Jensen. “Current best practices suggest that multimodal treatment — a blend of medical, psychological and educational interventions and behavior management techniques — has proven to be the most effective method for treating AD/HD and co-occurring conditions. All of us must work together to ensure that every child who needs such support receives it.”

Dr. Jensen was among a panel of distinguished experts at today’s Congressional briefing.

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
Dr. Jensen must provide us the evidence making ADHD either neurological or biological-a disease]

Other panel members included:

    Charly G**********  wrote:

      Thought this might be of interest. Doesn't this just makes you sick?

      Charly