Here is a fascinating study from the World Health Organization on ADHD at work.
Occup Environ Med. 2008 May 27. The Prevalence and effects of Adult ADHD on the performance of workers: Results from the WHO World Mental Health Survey Initiative. R. de Graaf and colleagues
Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Netherlands.
OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence and workplace consequences of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
METHODS: Ann ADHD screen was administered to 18-44 year-old respondents in ten national surveys in the WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative (n = 7075 in paid or self employment; response rate 45.9-87.7% across countries). Blinded clinical reappraisal interviews were administered in the US to calibrate the screen.. Days out of role were measured in the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHO-DAS). Questions were also asked about ADHD treatment.
RESULTS: An average of 3.5% of workers in the ten countries was estimated to meet DSM-IV criteria for adult ADHD (inter-quartile range: 1.3-4.9%). ADHD was more common among males than females and less common among professionals than other workers. ADHD was associated with a statistically significant 22.1 annual days of excess lost role performance compared to otherwise similar respondents without ADHD. No difference in the magnitude of this effect was found by occupation, education, age, gender, or partner status. This effect was most pronounced in Colombia, Italy, Lebanon, and the US. Although only a small minority of workers with ADHD ever received treatment for this condition, higher proportions were treated for comorbid mental-substance disorders.
CONCLUSIONS: ADHD is a relatively common condition among working people in the countries studied and is associated with high work impairment in these countries. This impairment, in conjunction with the low treatment rate and the availability of cost-effective therapies, suggests that ADHD would be a good candidate for targeted workplace screening and treatment programs.
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With 30years experience in dealing with ADHD in an ADHD dedicated practice having treated approx, 20,000 cases I can not only agree but could add much more to the project.
Who is the best ADHD Doctor in the Alpharetta GA area?
Who is the best ADHD Dr. in the Denver, Colorado area. Our family just had a bad experience (and an expensive one) with a doctor and clinic in a surburb of Denver.
My son needs to be assessed and this clinic wasn’t very client friendly.
How can I obtain a list of ADHD doctor’s in Philadelphia, PA?
I recently went to my PCP to try medication for ADHD. I was diagnosed 10 yrs. ago and was not interested in treating with meds. until now. Not only was my PCP completely uninformed about this diagnosis, she had no idea how to treat and so was reluctant to medicate.
I researched a Psychiatrist in the area to obtain a current diagnosis and the minimal charge was $850.00 for the first 90 minutes! Not only was that too expensive for me, this particular doctor does not accept any insurance programs. Now how in the world is a patient suppose to work with that?!
I am a chef of many years and was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I would have to agree with the study that workers do have a higher prevalence rate of this disorder as compared to professionals. After learning about the many “face†of ADHD, I believe that most of the people in my kitchen and in places that I have worked in the past, have some form of the disorder.
Celeste: Why don’t you go to California and consult with Amen Clinic. Trial and Error with psychiatry is not only expensive on purse, it is also expensive on time. This is even before counting the lost opportunities and cirppled confidence.
I have a few questions about a few statements in the previous posts. Some have stated that they have “just been” diagnosed with ADHD….in my experience, barring a head injury, ADHD symptoms are prevalent in childhood as well. Very prevalent. Are these adults with lifelong issues of ADHD or has the (emergence of symptoms) just begun in adulthood or late adolescence ? If so the diagnosis may be wrong, unless of course you were a predominantly inattentive kid, as this gets missed far more than the hyperactive/impulsive type which is a more “obvious issue.”
As for a doctor charging you $850.00, that is somewhat ridiculous however, and I totally agree, more and more practitioners are not taking insurance because it is a SIGNIFICANT waste of time. You spend countless man hours trying to get table scaps, if any scraps at all, NO THANKS.
Qualified professionals should be paid well, $850.00 is a bit excessive, unless you have Amen or someone comparable for a FULL 90 minutes. Truthfully, if someone has ADHD, I would get a SPECT study done. The executive function measure is priceless in an ADHD case.
No two disorders look alike and it has been my experience that you “find” something new in every case, especially when you have medication resistance, treatment resistance, or only “part” of your “problem” is being fixed. Stimulants improve attention, focus and in some cases impulse control etc. However, if you have comorbid issues, or only part of the problem is being addressed, I would go to an expert in SPECT imaging…and get it done right.
D.D.
Just when you think an interview is enough, or that a symptoms checklist is enough, SPECT finds something that better explains the “issue”
In the Denver area, Kevin Cowperthwaite M.D. (Psychiatrist) is a good ADD doctor. He works through Metropolitan State College student health clinic and perhaps at another location. Even if you can’t see him, call the student health clinic and ask if he can give you a name for a referal for your son. Also, the Mental Health Corporation of Denver (MHCD) seems to work for some people. I am not sure how it works to get started there and it may take a while b/c MHCD takes many patients of all kinds and just ADD folks may be at the end of the list. Be sure to mention any other symptoms of depression, etc. if they exist. It may help to be seen faster. Good luck and keep trying.
Regarding question from CS’s question of a medical doctor in Alpharetta, Georgia. My recommendation would be Dr. Glen Havens, The Ark Center, Roswell, GA. The office telephone is 770-998-1516, located on Hwy 92, minutes from Alpharetta.
For additional counseling concerning ADHD issues I would recommend Charles “Skeet” Stokes, c/o The Roswell Counseling Group (just off Alpharetta Highway), 770-640-9242.
Both men are exceptionally knowledgeable of the subject and have professional relationships with the Reston, VA. Amen Clinics. I am grateful to both for their concern and treatment with my ADD issues.
Thank You.
John
I am a teacher and a mother of two teenage daughters. I went diagnosed until my early thirties, what a nightmare this journey has been for me!
I’ve had to do an incredible amount of my own “educating” about the ADHD in adults. I have found that in the late 60’s and early 70’s when iIwas a child, ADD and ADHD were not common terms or familiar diagnoses that teachers, professionals, or even doctors talked about. So, I spend my whole life as a child, young adult compensating for my ADHD. Dr. Amen’s books and work have helped me immensly, both in my personal life and in my professional life as a teacher.
What has seemed to work is the combination of meds (Addorall for me, ext. release) and also seeing a counselor who specializes in ADHD behavior. The meds only control the “inside” stuff, the behaviors ar a whole different element. I really think that has made such a difference.
When I was a child it was very hard for me to be organized, not impulsive, and stay focused in school. I always was talking my way out of lessons, classes, etc. I knew that I was different than the other kids, but I also was very spirited and happy, thank goodness, because no one knew enough about ADHD to help me. THe fact is…chidlren and adults who have ADD or ADHD are actually of high intelligence, but are often made to feel “bad” or different because of their characteristics…trust me I know, I am a teacher as well…that’s another e-mail!
Just one last comment…I recetnly had to go see a G.I. specialist and this really is too funny, not really, annoying, but shows you the ignorance if they are “stuck” in their own “ffield of medicine. He was looking over what I took for meds, and he said,”…ah…ADHD…that is a childhood disease”… DISEASE….YES…he called it a disease…I set him straight about the fact that it is a diagnoses not a disease…and that you can’t “catch it”…and it is not only apparant in children, like he thought.
After my diagnosis of ADD, (along with Traumatic Brain Injury) I learned quickly to do my own research and use my knowledge to request medication and supplements. Many doctors know little and are resistant to current information about the syndrome.
I’m doing much better with one medication and the addition of 4 supplements including Omega-3. Dr Amen’s clinic evaluation and medical team have been assuring and life-changing. The information is current and the staff is flexible, putting me in a position of choice. I’m very grateful.
I am an adult ADHD female. Besides work, I had to quit going to the Seminary as well as a 3D Animation Art Program because Non-ADHD Professionals don’t know how to help us.
Please can you give suggestions on what could help chemo brain.
Best ADHD doctor in Colorado is William Dodson. Hands down.
For Celeste,
I have been involved in the ADHD community in Denver for years and have struggled to find a good doctor too. I finally found one! He is actually in Boulder but is reasonably priced at $250 for the first session and much less after that. His name is Dr. David Rosenthal. I’m sure you can locate him in the phone book. Good luck !!!
Susan
Thanks for all comments. I am looking for an ADHD doctor in St Petersburg, Largo, Seminole or Clearwater area of Florida. My son and daughter have ADHD. Would prefer reasonable cost and Doc aware of Dr. Amen’s work. I am also interested in getting SPECT tests locally for them. Thanks. Rock
Wow! Thanks for the color screen.
The recommendations made on this site are just a piece of the complex puzzle of brain research. I have been teaching in a low income high poverty area for years, I’m not crazy after all, or at least rarely unless provoked.
I am looking for an ADD doctor in the Hampton Roads (Virginia Beach) area. One who
uses the Amen method. I have been trying amino acids & vitamins with limited results.
After 30 years of psychotherapy, general practitioners, psychiatrists, self-help books and over $100,000 spent, I wouldn’t trust my brain or my children’s brains to anyone except The Amen Clinic.
I found the Fairfield clinic two years ago and it just makes perfect sense compared to everything else I’d been through. I think that the ADD discovered by The Amen Clinic was likely the underlying problem to begin with – something simple to treat if done properly early on. But instead, so many years of different medications and theories and guessing, and then a more complex mix of things by the time I had my scan and evaluation.
I found that with genetic ADHD or ADD vitmins and Amino’s seldom do the job that
medication does. I used to spend half my check each month of the best nutritional-science had at the time and worked for a health-food store. IF one can spend a hundred fifty bucks monthly one may be helped naturally but medication is cheaper in the long-run. I say take them along with medication unless you are ordered not to or it seems not good to take medication.
I live in Michigan. Does anybody know of a doctor here that uses the same or similar research and treatment methods that Dr. Amen does?
Thanks!
I live in Massachusetts . Can anyone suggest a good Doctor who follows Dr Amens work and practices in this area please ? Thanks
After reading Dr. Amen’s books, and being diagnosed as ADD and depressed at the age of 47, I had an “ah” moment in my life. Looking back throughout my life, my experiences became very clear. As a child growing up in the 50’s and 60’s my parents considered me “irritating, contrary, stubborn and impulsive.
Growing up in the Catholic school system as a young girl I was unable to “stay on task”. Without the nuns “roping me in”, I would have never graduated from high school. Intuitively knowing that college was not the path I wanted to follow in my life, even though I was extremely intelligent, I asked if I could attend art school. I was emphaticly told “no”, and that I needed a liberal arts education. I attended 3 or 4 different colleges, and was “kicked out” 3 times, never completing my degree.
By sheer luck I found my primary profession 31 years ago as an interpreter for the deaf. I have found that the job is perfect for me because I am my own “boss”, the tasks are “short term”, and there is very little paper work involved (one of my big shortcomings). Persevering through the years, being mostly self-educated, I have also become a fine jewelry designer and goldsmith, (there is that art). It has been a long hard road, very frustrating and extremely exhausting. Medication has improved my life tremendously. It has allowed me to accept myself and my special skills and finally feel comfortable “in my own skin”.
I am a 34 year old male with add, that was diagnosed at 14 but never treated for this disorder. I am also a single father with an eleven year old son that has ad/hd. I have done extensive research about ad/hd in order to provide the best possible treatment plan for my son. I would like to say that looking for the best doctor just isnt enough! Also placing a child on meds isnt treatment, only part of the treatment. parents, teachers and the childs doctor are all a major part of a childs treatment plan. communaction from all the people in the childs life is important to ensure treatment. I know this mostly because I slipped throught the cracks and was never really treated for the disorder. It affected my life in every aspect possible and still does in several ways. Don’t let your child slip through the cracks because you wanted the best doctor!
My 37 yeards old daughter has a similar situation. I watched Dr. Amen on TV and read some of his work on cingulate brain and found that the situation may be comparable. You mentioned medication and I am not sure how the decision was made for the type of medication received that improved your life. I appreciate your input.
I am looking for an adhd doctor to monitor medicine for my son, where would i find a list of names?
thank you