What You Need to Know About Ritalin [Mass Market Paperback]

James Shaya (Author), James Windell (Author), Holly Shreve Gilbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 1999

For all your questions about Ritalin--here are straightforward, medically sound answers.

Ritalin is the drug doctors prescribe most often for the millions of Americans who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  If you or your child has been diagnosed with ADHD--or if you suspect ADHD is present--you will want to understand ADHD and Ritalin.  This comprehensive, authoritative guide explains all you need to know.

Filled with real-life stories and the latest medical findings, this invaluable reference explains how Ritalin works, what to expect if you or your child takes it, and what can increase its effectiveness at school, work, and home.

What You Need to Know About Ritalin includes:
How ADHD is diagnosed--and where to find a professional for assessment
What Ritalin can--and can't--do to control ADHD
Medical advice about dosage, side effects, and other drug therapies
How to make Ritalin part of a total treatment program with psychotherapy, parent training, and support groups
Best solutions to common problems with prescription refills, doses during the school day, working with teachers and school systems--and more

Plus comprehensive reference and resource sections

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A highly readable, popular account of the ins and outs of this stimulant drug and other treatments for ADHD.  This book sheds light at a time when there is too much heat and not enough straightforward information."
--Judith L. Rapoport M.D., Chief, Child Psychiatry, National Institutes of Mental Health

From the Inside Flap

For all your questions about Ritalin--here are straightforward, medically sound answers.

Ritalin is the drug doctors prescribe most often for the millions of Americans who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  If you or your child has been diagnosed with ADHD--or if you suspect ADHD is present--you will want to understand ADHD and Ritalin.  This comprehensive, authoritative guide explains all you need to know.

Filled with real-life stories and the latest medical findings, this invaluable reference explains how Ritalin works, what to expect if you or your child takes it, and what can increase its effectiveness at school, work, and home.

What You Need to Know About Ritalin includes:
How ADHD is diagnosed--and where to find a professional for assessment
What Ritalin can--and can't--do to control ADHD
Medical advice about dosage, side effects, and other drug therapies
How to make Ritalin part of a total treatment program with psychotherapy, parent training, and support groups
Best solutions to common problems with prescription refills, doses during the school day, working with teachers and school systems--and more

Plus comprehensive reference and resource sections

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (March 2, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055357552X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553575521
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 3.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,528,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wide-ranging, readable, and sane, August 27, 1999

By 

Colleen M. McDonald - See all my reviews

This review is from: What You Need to Know About Ritalin (Mass Market Paperback)

If your child is "diagnosed" as AD(H)D, chances are someone is going to encourage you to consider Ritalin. You can dig in your heels and say, "Absolutely not! I would never DRUG my child." OR you can become informed about the nature of the condition knows as AD(H)D, its possible short-term and long-range effects, the pros and cons of Ritalin, and other approaches to treatment, and you can then make an informed decision about what your child needs. If you choose "OR," then this book is for you. The title of this book is a bit of a misnomer, because it is more about ADHD and its treatment than it is exclusively about Ritalin. The authors express the opinion, more than once, that the most effective approach to treating ADHD is a combination that includes drug therapy, education and counseling (for affected individuals and their families), and educational support. Two of the strengths of this book are that it is written by a team that includes an MD and a psychologist, and that it is comprehensive. A minor criticism: I wished for more detail in the section on psychotherapy. Additionally, fuller case studies, rather than short case examples, would have been helpful. All in all, as the mother of a child newly diagnosed as ADD, I was grateful for the sane and balanced approach of this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful and balanced perspective., July 18, 2006

By 

Paul Fennell (Sydney, AUSTRALIA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What You Need to Know About Ritalin (Paperback)

This book removes the clichés and media distortions about ADHD and the use of Ritalin. Dr Shaya (et al) carefully annotates every fact with the source of that fact. As a parent of an ADHD teenager, this book has provided me with a strategy to manage the ADHD situation.