Adhd: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adults

Paul Wender began his career treating children with ADHD 37 years ago and has treated adults with the disorder for almost 30 years. His exhaustive research and insight gained from clinical practice led to the first book about ADHD in children (Minimal Brain Dysfunction in Children, 1971). Continuing research revealed that in many instances ADHD persisted into adult life, and that adult ADHD included symptoms that were not present in childhood. These findings resulted in his 1995 book Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults. He also authored the first book for the parents of children with ADHD, The Hyperactive Child in 1974. Now, in this revised and updated edition of ADHD he presents the definitive resource on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

In his discussion of ADHD treatments, Wender stresses that drug therapy remains the most effective in treating the disorder. He adds, however, that psychological techniques, when combined with medication, can produce further improvement. Most important, Wender offers practical--and extensive--instructions on how parents of an ADHD sufferer can best help their child.

Throughout, Wender supplies extensive case histories of children and adolescents with ADHD, as well as accounts of the experience of ADHD in adults as perceived by both patients and their families. In addition, the book contains valuable information on where to seek help, as well as on the kinds of diagnostic tests currently available. Finally, in an appendix to the volume, the author includes instructions on how adults can self-screen for the disorder.

Now a classic work, ADHD grants parents and adults whose lives have been touched by this disorder an indispensable source of help, hope, and understanding.

Paul Wender is a pioneer researcher and clinician who was one of the first to identify and treat children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and later to notice the same pattern of symptoms in the parents of these children. He has now thoroughly revised and updated his classic handbook on the subject, adding more case histories, expanding the section on adults, and outlining the new drug treatments that have appeared since the last edition.

Reviewing what is known about ADHD, its symptoms, its life course, its etiology, the usefulness of various treatments, and the value to the patient of education about the disorder, Wender brings together a wealth of information not available in any other volume. A clinician who has treated patients with ADHD for many years, he offers compelling firsthand accounts from men and women who offer dramatic insight into what it feels like to have ADHD and how it responds to medical treatment. Combining the insights of his clinical practice with his innovative research on pharmacological treatments of psychiatric disorders, Wender offers a wealth of practical information on where to seek help, the kinds and reliability of diagnostic tests, and the different approaches to treatment. He also identifies the drug treatments that can dramatically reduce symptoms and, when necessary, render patients more amenable to treatment for any residual psychological symptoms.

The classic work on this ailment, ADHD is an indispensable source of help, hope, and understanding for parents and adults who suspect that they or someone they care about may suffer from this much misunderstood disorder.

Paul Wender, M.D. was formerly Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Psychiatric Research at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Known as the "Dean of ADHD" by his colleagues, he is a pioneer in identifying and treating this disorder and he ran some of the first clinical trials on Ritalin. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.