NMHA News Release: September 7 Marks National AD/HD Awareness Day - Commentary by Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD

National Mental Health Association wrote:

Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2004 10:50:43 -0400

From: National Mental Health Association

Subject: NMHA News Release: September 7 Marks National AD/HD Awareness Day

ADDA/CHADD/NMHA

News Release

September 2, 2004

September 7 Marks National AD/HD Awareness Day

U.S. Senate Recognizes AD/HD as a Major Public Health Concern

Contacts:

Michele Novotni, (484) 302 1107 or mnovotni@add.org

Peg Nichols, (301) 306-7070, ext. 102 or peg_nichols@chadd.org

Chris Condayan, (703) 838-7551 or ccondayan@nmha.org

(September 1, 2004) ¾ Tuesday, September 7, will mark the inaugural AD/HD Awareness Day, highlighting the significant impact of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder on millions of American children, families and adults.

In a resolution (S.370), introduced by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and
co-sponsored by Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), the U.S. Senate recognized
AD/HD as a major public health concern and encouraged the federal government
to raise public awareness about AD/HD and to improve access to mental health
services for children and adults with the illness.

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
Dear Senators Cantwell
and Durbin, you should know that AD/HD is an invention/concoction/contrivance
(not at all an actual disease) that allows, today, the medicalization/victimization
and drugging of millions of entirely normal children, mainly here in the US but,
increasingly around the world as well. This criminal behavior, in which government
at all levels has become a participant, is maximal here due to the role of money in
government, here in the US, as nowhere else in the world. Knowing full-well that
no mental/psychiatric illness/disorder/condition is an actual disease, ADD, CHADD
and NMHA are willful parties to the fraud, the greatest health care fraud in US
history. What every legislator must consider and rationalize is that every time, as
with this resolution they author/pass a bill that further assures the "diagnosis" and
"treatment" of such entities that are not real diseases at all, and will never be, they
are perpetrators of the fraud, as well.]

AD/HD is a neurobiological disorder that affects an estimated 3 to 7 percent of
school-age children and an estimated 4 percent of adults across racial, ethnic
and socioeconomic groups

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
there is no proof of anything neurologically or
biologically abnormal until their drugging/intoxication/poisoning is begun]

. While
the exact cause of the disorder is unknown, studies indicate that AD/HD runs in
families and suggest that genetic inheritance is an important risk factor. AD/HD is
characterized by impulsivity, inattention, and in some cases, hyperactivity.

“The volume of real scientific research about AD/HD is immense

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
that it is immense
is irrelevant, the important point is that nowhere in the world literature is there proof
of a physical abnormality where abnormality = disease]

. 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.,
CEO of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD),
and father of a child with special challenges. “Efforts such as AD/HD Awareness
Day allow us to revert the focus to legitimate science, clear up confusion surrounding
the disorder and get people the help they need.”

Symptoms of AD/HD can include:

· Difficulty attending to details


· Making careless mistakes


· Difficulty sustaining attention to tasks


· Failure to follow instructions carefully and completely


· Losing or forgetting important things


· Often fidgeting with hands or feet, or squirming


· Running or climbing excessively


· Talking excessively


· Frequently blurting out answers and/or interrupting.

In addition to these symptoms, adolescents and adults with AD/HD may also feel
fidgety and restless. Chronic problems with time management and organization
are also characteristics of AD/HD.

“A significant number of adults are suffering needlessly in work, social and family
relationships due to unidentified and untreated AD/HD,” explains Michele Novotni,
Ph.D, CEO of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA), the organization
dedicated to helping adults with AD/HD that spearheaded the initiative for the
resolution. “Unfortunately, even with all the information now available about adult
AD/HD, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding and lack of knowledge that
stop people from getting the help they need.”

“AD/HD Awareness Day will help to decrease the stigma that prevents millions of
children and adults from seeking the care they need,” said Michael Faenza,
president and CEO of the National Mental Health Association (NMHA). “The
American public needs to know that recent medical advances and improved
treatment programs allow most people to lead fuller, more productive lives.”

The Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA), Children and Adults with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) and the National Mental Health
Association (NMHA) have joined several other healthcare, education and consumer
advocacy organizations to mark the day.

For more information about AD/HD in children, adolescents or adults, contact
CHADD at 1-800-233-4050 or visit www.chadd.org.

For information about AD/HD in adults and Awareness Day events, contact the
ADDA at 484-945-2101 or visit www.add.org.

Information about AD/HD and its impact on families, general information about
mental health issues and mental health resources are available from NMHA’s
Resource Center at 1-800-969-6642 or online at www.nmha.org.

The world’s leading adult AD/HD organization, ADDA provides information,
resources and networking opportunities to help adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder lead better lives. ADDA provides hope, empowerment and connections
worldwide by bringing together science and the human experience for both adults
with AD/HD and professionals who serve them.

With more than 18,000 members and 200 affiliates nationwide, CHADD is the
nation’s leading advocacy organization serving families and individuals affected
by AD/HD. CHADD works to improve the lives of people affected by AD/HD
through collaborative leadership, advocacy, research, education and support:
CHADD CARES.

The National Mental Health Association is the country’s oldest and largest
nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental
illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide, NMHA works to improve the
mental health of all Americans through advocacy, education, research, and
service.

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