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Beyond ADHD: Overcoming the Label and Thriving
Beyond ADHD weaves Emmerson’s personal story of his ADHD diagnosis, exploring along the way the latest medical, scientific and societal explanations and tools for managing and living with the condition. Including interviews with a number of experts at the forefront of next-generation ADHD diagnostics and treatment, he questions the cookie-cutter way ADHD is commonly diagnosed and treated. Suggesting that the list of symptoms often used to identify ADHD can be attributed to many other disorders and conditions, he explores how and why ADHD diagnoses have increased by 50% in the last ten years.
Emmerson advocates a different approach to ADHD, arguing that it should be a diagnosis of exclusion rather than the other way around, and that we must look past the label, recognizing that individual symptoms vary and treatment plans should be better tailored to the individual. He examines mental and behavioral issues from all sides, including the possibility that nurturing – rather than trying to alter or suppress – the active, “360-degree” mind is a viable way for those diagnosed with ADHD to realize their gifts and lead purposeful lives.
Emmerson advocates a different approach to ADHD, arguing that it should be a diagnosis of exclusion rather than the other way around, and that we must look past the label, recognizing that individual symptoms vary and treatment plans should be better tailored to the individual. He examines mental and behavioral issues from all sides, including the possibility that nurturing – rather than trying to alter or suppress – the active, “360-degree” mind is a viable way for those diagnosed with ADHD to realize their gifts and lead purposeful lives.
- GenresNonfictionAdhdSelf Help
280 pages, Hardcover
Published August 31, 2017
7 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 18, 2017
I received an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've read a number of books on ADHD that focused on an integrative approach, the history of the diagnosis, and the danger of commonly prescribed ADHD medications. This is the first one I've read that really digs into what the label means and explores it from the perspective of someone who's lived it. I appreciate that the author took the time to outline conditions that share what are considered to be typical ADHD symptoms, especially adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and anxiety. He offers a lot of relevant research and statistics, but more importantly, he asks readers to reconsider what the label means and how we approach diagnosis and treatment.
The information on nutrition and exercise is important, and I love that he mentions functional medicine as an option to consider (I also recommend looking at gut health and the connection to cognitive function). If nothing else, this book will make you think about why our medical and educational systems aren't set up to support anyone who's been given an ADHD diagnosis. The dialogue needs to change, and this book is a good starting place.
I've read a number of books on ADHD that focused on an integrative approach, the history of the diagnosis, and the danger of commonly prescribed ADHD medications. This is the first one I've read that really digs into what the label means and explores it from the perspective of someone who's lived it. I appreciate that the author took the time to outline conditions that share what are considered to be typical ADHD symptoms, especially adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and anxiety. He offers a lot of relevant research and statistics, but more importantly, he asks readers to reconsider what the label means and how we approach diagnosis and treatment.
The information on nutrition and exercise is important, and I love that he mentions functional medicine as an option to consider (I also recommend looking at gut health and the connection to cognitive function). If nothing else, this book will make you think about why our medical and educational systems aren't set up to support anyone who's been given an ADHD diagnosis. The dialogue needs to change, and this book is a good starting place.
September 17, 2018
I came across Jeff Emmerson on twitter, as I have a son who was misdiagnosed with ADHD and in fact has autism (aspergers). I was concerned particularly by one organisation that just pushed medication and refused to do anything without my son being put on meds (he was 6 years old at the time). They had only observed my son in play for half an hour, and an hour at school and that was that. They refused to do an IQ test, which the next organisation immediately did - shocked that one had not been done by the previous organisation - and it immediately revealed the aspects of his autism. And I live in Holland - not in the US, where all the research for this book is focused. To me this showed immediately that there is something wrong with the system of diagnosis for this and many similar conditions - particularly ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) as well as ADHD.
In my case it was picked up by his first school at 4 years of age, who immediately said he needed to go to a special school (a system the Dutch use). And my second son, who has no issues besides his stubbornness, was also put through diagnosis because of his brothers diagnosis. The labeling and black listing that goes on in the school system is a serious issue for parents.
So I was keen to read Jeff's book as it looks at all these issues in depth with heavy research to support it.
I read some of the other reviews on this book, where people claim this is a book against medication and judgemental on those that use it. I don't agree. Jeff doesn't say anything about who should or should not be taking meds, or that those that do are bad people. What Jeff says is that if you are putting children on such a serious drug as this particular amphetamine, make sure you have the diagnosis correct and that you have been thorough in making sure you have it correct. That it shouldn't be the first thing offered as a solution and each child should be thoroughly investigated first.
My son was medicated for a couple of years, and now fortunately he is no longer. It helped, although the minute I saw there was research showing how his meds (methylphenidate) cause problems with bone density in children, I took him off them. His side effects while on them were significant - he lost his appetite and felt sick the entire time they were in his system. He lost so much weight I only medicated him in the morning for the longest part of his day at school.)
This book provides detailed research to support why we should be very concerned about the current method and rate of diagnosis, and it provides accounts of interviews with professionals in this field who discuss what they think about the current diagnostic process - most of which feel it is not adequate. Personally the data scares me for the future of our children, if we let it continue as it is. Just the list of medical conditions that share the same symptoms as ADHD is concerning enough. There needs to be a massive change in this.
Here are a few quotes from professionals in this field that bothered me a lot:
"Are they selling ADHD? You bet. Why? Because it's a proven profit maker."
"Do we call this struggle of teens to focus their attention, with this degree of information overload and equal need for constant connection to others, clinical ADHD?"
"Functional Medicine should be a norm - why aren't all children evaluated properly looking at all factors of their history & not just symptoms? How could LC [a patient] have been allowed to slip through with those symptoms at 5yrs of age? Failure of medical team."
"The development of the child's mind is a kind of unfolding or flowering that we can't wholesale create but we can nurture into fullest bloom. The metaphor is in the garden not the factory farm and certainly not the neurochemist's laboratory."
To anyone who has been diagnosed with ADHD (or ADD) or has a child diagnosed with it, I urge them to read this and get informed and maybe consider seeking further investigation into their particular issues (as I did with my son when I wasn't satisfied). Or to anyone interested in this topic. I really do wish all professionals would read this.
For me the only shame is the price of this book being so high, making it less accessible to people who would really benefit from reading it.
In my case it was picked up by his first school at 4 years of age, who immediately said he needed to go to a special school (a system the Dutch use). And my second son, who has no issues besides his stubbornness, was also put through diagnosis because of his brothers diagnosis. The labeling and black listing that goes on in the school system is a serious issue for parents.
So I was keen to read Jeff's book as it looks at all these issues in depth with heavy research to support it.
I read some of the other reviews on this book, where people claim this is a book against medication and judgemental on those that use it. I don't agree. Jeff doesn't say anything about who should or should not be taking meds, or that those that do are bad people. What Jeff says is that if you are putting children on such a serious drug as this particular amphetamine, make sure you have the diagnosis correct and that you have been thorough in making sure you have it correct. That it shouldn't be the first thing offered as a solution and each child should be thoroughly investigated first.
My son was medicated for a couple of years, and now fortunately he is no longer. It helped, although the minute I saw there was research showing how his meds (methylphenidate) cause problems with bone density in children, I took him off them. His side effects while on them were significant - he lost his appetite and felt sick the entire time they were in his system. He lost so much weight I only medicated him in the morning for the longest part of his day at school.)
This book provides detailed research to support why we should be very concerned about the current method and rate of diagnosis, and it provides accounts of interviews with professionals in this field who discuss what they think about the current diagnostic process - most of which feel it is not adequate. Personally the data scares me for the future of our children, if we let it continue as it is. Just the list of medical conditions that share the same symptoms as ADHD is concerning enough. There needs to be a massive change in this.
Here are a few quotes from professionals in this field that bothered me a lot:
"Are they selling ADHD? You bet. Why? Because it's a proven profit maker."
"Do we call this struggle of teens to focus their attention, with this degree of information overload and equal need for constant connection to others, clinical ADHD?"
"Functional Medicine should be a norm - why aren't all children evaluated properly looking at all factors of their history & not just symptoms? How could LC [a patient] have been allowed to slip through with those symptoms at 5yrs of age? Failure of medical team."
"The development of the child's mind is a kind of unfolding or flowering that we can't wholesale create but we can nurture into fullest bloom. The metaphor is in the garden not the factory farm and certainly not the neurochemist's laboratory."
To anyone who has been diagnosed with ADHD (or ADD) or has a child diagnosed with it, I urge them to read this and get informed and maybe consider seeking further investigation into their particular issues (as I did with my son when I wasn't satisfied). Or to anyone interested in this topic. I really do wish all professionals would read this.
For me the only shame is the price of this book being so high, making it less accessible to people who would really benefit from reading it.
December 20, 2020
The good:
Asks questions about the rise in ADHD diagnosis, the prescription of stimulants, and scratches the surface on other ADHD treatment options.
The bad:
Does not back its claims up. Asks lots of questions but doesn’t do the work to explore the science on these topics. Asking a question needs to be backed by evidence if it’s going to be taken seriously. For example the author points to an idealized (fictional) 50s version of society (family eating dinner together, more free play for kids, etc.) and tries to link his perceived changes in society to a rise in diagnosis for ADHD. This is shaking logic at best and potentially terrible advice if parents think ADHD might be cured with eating dinner together to the exclusion of proven ADHD support. Another example is the author brings up “toxins” as an issue yet never defines what they are. He also points to the rise of technology and generally goes on about “kids these days” but fails to connect these rants to science backing up his opinion.
The questions raised could have been covered in a blog post. Since the author didn’t do the work of investigating these concerns with any depth I do not recommend this book to anyone.
Asks questions about the rise in ADHD diagnosis, the prescription of stimulants, and scratches the surface on other ADHD treatment options.
The bad:
Does not back its claims up. Asks lots of questions but doesn’t do the work to explore the science on these topics. Asking a question needs to be backed by evidence if it’s going to be taken seriously. For example the author points to an idealized (fictional) 50s version of society (family eating dinner together, more free play for kids, etc.) and tries to link his perceived changes in society to a rise in diagnosis for ADHD. This is shaking logic at best and potentially terrible advice if parents think ADHD might be cured with eating dinner together to the exclusion of proven ADHD support. Another example is the author brings up “toxins” as an issue yet never defines what they are. He also points to the rise of technology and generally goes on about “kids these days” but fails to connect these rants to science backing up his opinion.
The questions raised could have been covered in a blog post. Since the author didn’t do the work of investigating these concerns with any depth I do not recommend this book to anyone.
April 13, 2019
Couldn't get past the boring minutia about the author's personal experience. Not much practical assistance as I had been hoping for.
September 15, 2019
I came across Jeff Emmerson on twitter, as I have a son who was misdiagnosed with ADHD and in fact has autism (aspergers). I was concerned particularly by one organisation that just pushed medication and refused to do anything without my son being put on meds (he was 6 years old at the time). They had only observed my son in play for half an hour, and an hour at school and that was that. They refused to do an IQ test, which the next organisation immediately did - shocked that one had not been done by the previous organisation - and it immediately revealed the aspects of his autism. And I live in Holland - not in the US, where all the research for this book is focused. To me this showed immediately that there is something wrong with the system of diagnosis for this and many similar conditions - particularly ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) as well as ADHD.'return 'return In my case it was picked up by his first school at 4 years of age, who immediately said he needed to go to a special school (a system the Dutch use). And my second son, who has no issues besides his stubbornness, was also put through diagnosis because of his brothers diagnosis. The labeling and black listing that goes on in the school system is a serious issue for parents.'return 'return So I was keen to read Jeff's book as it looks at all these issues in depth with heavy research to support it.'return 'return I read some of the other reviews on this book, where people claim this is a book against medication and judgemental on those that use it. I don't agree. Jeff doesn't say anything about who should or should not be taking meds, or that those that do are bad people. What Jeff says is that if you are putting children on such a serious drug as this particular amphetamine, make sure you have the diagnosis correct and that you have been thorough in making sure you have it correct. That it shouldn't be the first thing offered as a solution and each child should be thoroughly investigated first.'return 'return My son was medicated for a couple of years, and now fortunately he is no longer. It helped, although the minute I saw there was research showing how his meds (methylphenidate) cause problems with bone density in children, I took him off them. His side effects while on them were significant - he lost his appetite and felt sick the entire time they were in his system. He lost so much weight I only medicated him in the morning for the longest part of his day at school.)'return 'return This book provides detailed research to support why we should be very concerned about the current method and rate of diagnosis, and it provides accounts of interviews with professionals in this field who discuss what they think about the current diagnostic process - most of which feel it is not adequate. Personally the data scares me for the future of our children, if we let it continue as it is. Just the list of medical conditions that share the same symptoms as ADHD is concerning enough. There needs to be a massive change in this.'return 'return Here are a few quotes from professionals in this field that bothered me a lot:'return 'return "Are they selling ADHD? You bet. Why? Because it's a proven profit maker."'return 'return "Do we call this struggle of teens to focus their attention, with this degree of information overload and equal need for constant connection to others, clinical ADHD?"'return 'return "Functional Medicine should be a norm - why aren't all children evaluated properly looking at all factors of their history & not just symptoms? How could LC 'a patient have been allowed to slip through with those symptoms at 5yrs of age? Failure of medical team."'return 'return "The development of the child's mind is a kind of unfolding or flowering that we can't wholesale create but we can nurture into fullest bloom. The metaphor is in the garden not the factory farm and certainly not the neurochemist's laboratory."'return 'return To anyone who has been diagnosed with ADHD (or ADD) or has a child diagnosed with it, I urge them to read this and get informed and maybe consider seeking further investigation into their particular issues (as I did with my son when I wasn't satisfied). Or to anyone interested in this topic. I really do wish all professionals would read this.'return 'return For me the only shame is the price of this book being so high, making it less accessible to people who would really benefit from reading it.
June 22, 2017
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.
As a parent navigating my child's ADHD diagnosis and researching treatment options, this book provided an interesting angle towards alternatives to medication and focuses quite a bit on neurofeedback and therapeutic medicine to address not just ADHD but to challenge some diagnoses at all. Some of the chapters are written biographically on the authors own experiences of mental health and ADHD diagnosis, this is a hard read at times as very emotional and covers some difficult subjects that while very relevant to mental health, are likely to be unsettling and frightening read for some parents of young children new to the world of ADHD.
It is certainly detailed and researched, though at times I found that alternate conclusions from studies & evidence were overlooked to fit the narrative of the book, whilst differences of patients is acknowledged sometimes it feels the umbrella arguments for ADHD are pushed aside in this book, arguing those with anomalies or differences to the neurological studies are not ADHD rather than the overlapping & diversity of the condition acknowledged in other books that are both pro and anti medication. It is also heavily angled to the American market where treatment plans and medical aspects are different to the UK.
It certainly is a worthwhile read for those who are not happy with a diagnosis or confused about the treatments available.
As a parent navigating my child's ADHD diagnosis and researching treatment options, this book provided an interesting angle towards alternatives to medication and focuses quite a bit on neurofeedback and therapeutic medicine to address not just ADHD but to challenge some diagnoses at all. Some of the chapters are written biographically on the authors own experiences of mental health and ADHD diagnosis, this is a hard read at times as very emotional and covers some difficult subjects that while very relevant to mental health, are likely to be unsettling and frightening read for some parents of young children new to the world of ADHD.
It is certainly detailed and researched, though at times I found that alternate conclusions from studies & evidence were overlooked to fit the narrative of the book, whilst differences of patients is acknowledged sometimes it feels the umbrella arguments for ADHD are pushed aside in this book, arguing those with anomalies or differences to the neurological studies are not ADHD rather than the overlapping & diversity of the condition acknowledged in other books that are both pro and anti medication. It is also heavily angled to the American market where treatment plans and medical aspects are different to the UK.
It certainly is a worthwhile read for those who are not happy with a diagnosis or confused about the treatments available.
December 7, 2017
As I have known some people in my life that deal with ADHD I never really understood the struggle of the diagnosis. After reading this I totally understand, there are so many details around ADHD and there are so many different elements to it.
I feel like the diagnoses are always rushed so they can go on to their next patient. Energy too much? it must be ADHD. Can't sit still? it must be ADHD. that is where they go wrong. it is not that easy, a lot of symptoms of ADHD can fit other diseases/conditions. How can a doctor/professional say in an appointment of 10/20 minutes that it is ADHD out of all these things. Maybe they aren't doctors but wizards. This book was full of information about other views on this matter, a personal story.
This book really opened my eyes to how this world really works, and the many perspectives I missed because of that. Although this book feels more like discussion starter, and the matter of it not being my normal kind of reading material I still give it 3.5/5 stars (4 on goodreads).
In short, I think this book should be read by all doctors, all "professionals" just so they know it is not just a 20-minute appointment that could lead to an ADHD diagnoses. I recommend this to all the people who have ADHD or people who have friends/family members with ADHD.
I feel like the diagnoses are always rushed so they can go on to their next patient. Energy too much? it must be ADHD. Can't sit still? it must be ADHD. that is where they go wrong. it is not that easy, a lot of symptoms of ADHD can fit other diseases/conditions. How can a doctor/professional say in an appointment of 10/20 minutes that it is ADHD out of all these things. Maybe they aren't doctors but wizards. This book was full of information about other views on this matter, a personal story.
This book really opened my eyes to how this world really works, and the many perspectives I missed because of that. Although this book feels more like discussion starter, and the matter of it not being my normal kind of reading material I still give it 3.5/5 stars (4 on goodreads).
In short, I think this book should be read by all doctors, all "professionals" just so they know it is not just a 20-minute appointment that could lead to an ADHD diagnoses. I recommend this to all the people who have ADHD or people who have friends/family members with ADHD.
September 28, 2017
This is not your average book on ADHD. It’s not a book about how to raise a child with ADHD or even really about what to do if you ADHD. It’s more a discussion and sharing of an exploration the author takes to see if he really has ADHD and why so many people are being diagnosed with ADHD today as well as what should be done about it.
He identifies problems such as the fact that most ADHD diagnoses are done in 15 minutes or less. They are being rushed to diagnose from family, psychologists, teachers, coaches and others because someone saw troubling symptoms in a kid and since it includes inattention it MUST be ADHD, right? Wrong.
The most interesting part of the book is where the author reveals a list by the CDC on 50 conditions that mimic ADHDfollow. That’s fifty other diseases/conditions whose symptoms overlap the symptoms of ADHD. So in a quick 15 minute doctor’s visit that doesn’t include testing, patient history and input from multiple sources children with any of these other conditions could be misdiagnosed with ADHD.
Read the rest of the review: http://smsnonfictionbookreviews.com/2...
He identifies problems such as the fact that most ADHD diagnoses are done in 15 minutes or less. They are being rushed to diagnose from family, psychologists, teachers, coaches and others because someone saw troubling symptoms in a kid and since it includes inattention it MUST be ADHD, right? Wrong.
The most interesting part of the book is where the author reveals a list by the CDC on 50 conditions that mimic ADHDfollow. That’s fifty other diseases/conditions whose symptoms overlap the symptoms of ADHD. So in a quick 15 minute doctor’s visit that doesn’t include testing, patient history and input from multiple sources children with any of these other conditions could be misdiagnosed with ADHD.
Read the rest of the review: http://smsnonfictionbookreviews.com/2...
January 24, 2018
This is a subject that really interests me because of how often you hear the word and diagnosis.
Going into this one, I wasn't 100% sure this novel was going to apply to me in its entirety. While that was the case, there was definitely plenty I fell like I got from reading this novel.
I could still appreciate the Author's collective authority and knowledge of the subject. It was very interesting to read about and I think things from this novel could help people dealing with certain struggles in their life.
Going into this one, I wasn't 100% sure this novel was going to apply to me in its entirety. While that was the case, there was definitely plenty I fell like I got from reading this novel.
I could still appreciate the Author's collective authority and knowledge of the subject. It was very interesting to read about and I think things from this novel could help people dealing with certain struggles in their life.
October 1, 2017
This was a fresh take on ADHD and everything from diagnosis to coping with it. I think it can really help both those who have ADHD, as well as those who interact with them. There are a lot of things people who do not live with it don't understand about ADHD. I think there are a lot of misconceptions and this novel really helped to shine light on it.
October 5, 2021
Although a little on the wordy side, this is a great look at the over- and misdiagnosis of ADHD. I thought it would be more geared towards adults, but the author and cowriter were a little all over the place. Overall, a quick read.
January 24, 2022
DNF. I found it too hard to wade through the internalized ableism to get to anything good (if indeed the tone and content of the book changes considerably later on and doesn't just spew more of the same).
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews