Mark Selikowitz - Adhd: The Facts

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Twelve years have passed since the second edition of this book was published; years that have seen many positive changes in the recognition, acceptance, management, and understanding of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

One significant change has been the greater recognition of ADHD in adulthood. This has meant that children with ADHD are now able to continue receiving treatment for their condition, if required, after they have reached adulthood. It has also meant that many adults whose ADHD was not diagnosed when they were younger are now, for the first time, able to understand the nature of the disorder that has caused their lifelong difficulties, and to benefit from having it appropriately treated.

Another positive development has been that many governments in Western countries have accepted that ADHD is a bona fide medical condition and now subsidize the medications used to treat the condition and provide funding to support individuals with ADHD during their school and tertiary education.

Yet another improvement is that the media are now less likely to publish negative articles or to produce negative TV programmes casting doubt on the existence of ADHD, or the treatment of the condition with medication. Articles and programmes on ADHD now generally relate success stories about children and adults with ADHD who have benefited from the correct diagnosis and treatment of their condition or, importantly, highlight unmet needs of children and adults with the condition.

On the medical front, several new medications have become available to treat ADHD. In addition, some of the older medications have been modified so that their effect lasts longer, thereby avoiding the need to take medication more than once daily. There has also been an enormous increase in research into ADHD. In 2019 alone, 2,364 research papers on ADHD were published in the scientific and biomedical literature.

The text in this third edition has been updated to reflect these and other new developments. It is gratifying that nothing in the preceding edition needed to be retracted. As before, the book reflects a conservative and balanced approach based on my long experience of treating many children and adults with ADHDan approach that has stood the test of time.