Medication Misinformation - A Chance For Advocacy
Wednesday, November 14th, 2007
This week has been a busy week in the news for ADHD. A British TV show seems to have misinterpreted the conclusions from the multimodal treatment study. This has led to a media uproar about the fact that ADHD medicines don’t seem to work. (You can watch my youtube video on the ADHD Medicine story here).
Today, I saw an article in the British (online) Press, that an inquiry will be requested into how ADHD is diagnosed and treated in the UK. You can read the story here.
My initial reaction, I must admit, was frustration and concern. I was frustrated thinking that they are over reacting to mis-information, and concerned that this would interfere with the help for people with ADHD in the UK.
But then I thought about it…
The truth is… this may lead to more resources and funding for behavioral and non-medication treatments for ADHD. That is a good thing! (Since the best treatment for ADHD is a combination of non-medication and medication approaches).
So, I now consider this positive, and a chance for advocacy.
My suggestions for our British friends (who are advocates for ADHD) is to get actively involved in this process so that the members of the inquiry (if it happens) will have the proper information. This will help children, teens and adults with ADHD.
It would be a tragedy if this inquiry led to more widespread misinformation and restrictions on the access to medications. Hopefully, this will lead to a better understanding of ADHD and access to more resources and comprehensive treatment.
Please share your thoughts and comments below.
Dr. Kenny




