Beyond ADHD: Overcoming the Label and Thriving

(Hardback)

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Beyond ADHD weaves Emmersons 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.

Reviews

Misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder after a suicide attempt, Emmerson devotes his book and his life to asking good questions about how to prevent and best treat the condition. With veteran coauthor Yehling, he explains why he thinks the ADHD label should be retired and how he thinks people with it should be treated. He believes prescriptions should be used only as a last resort (his own experiences with them were not good). He identifies a major problem: doctors base their subjective diagnosis on observed behaviors, which is one reason 13-percent of kids are now diagnosed with it. 'We need to nail down and laser in on what ADHD is and what it isnt,' he says. Its hard to argue with recommendations like drinking plenty of water and avoiding high-fructose corn syrup, though Emmerson isnt an M.D. Overall his enthusiasm for his topic and his general good advice, including promoting self-esteem and trying to create a 'gentler world,' will resonate with everyone concerned about ADHD, including his hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers. * Booklist *
Courageous, tenacious, smart, and full of a hockey goalie's all-star heart, Jeff Emmerson probes behind the slogans and labels to get at the truth. A man on a mission, Jeff does the world of ADHD a great service with this book. -- Edward Hallowell, MD, Harvard Medical School faculty, retired, and New York Times bestselling author of Driven to Distraction
A beautiful amalgam of lived experience and first rate science writing. Helpful and inspiring for those who suffer with ADHD; essential for those who need protection from misdiagnosis and careless drug prescriptions. -- Allen Frances, MD, DSM-IV Task Force; author of author of Saving Normal; professor emeritus, Duke University School of Medicine

Author Bio

Jeff Emmerson is a mental health advocate, popular video blogger and leading social media figure focused on reframing how we view ADHD, with a passionate mission to prevent mis- and over-diagnoses, and help people whose lives are impacted by the condition. He has more than 400,000 followers on his @IAmJeffEmmerson Twitter account, 15,000+ LinkedIn connections, a large viewership on YouTube, and is currently gaining about 7,500 followers per week. His e-mail list has over 26,000 subscribers. Emmerson is aligned with a number of leading medical, neuroscience and behavioral experts, many of whom are quoted prominently in his book. Hes written for EverydayHealth.com, AdditudeMag.com, and AOL Health, and has been interviewed on NPR.

Robert Yehling is the author of ten books and ghostwriter of seven others, and is increasingly specializing in titles pertaining to mental health, behavioral and fitness issues. His most recent title, Just Add Water, the biography of autistic surfing great Clay Marzo (2015: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), has been nominated for the Dorothy Gray Childrens Literature Award and an International Book Award. He also works with author Kevin Hines, whose Cracked, Not Broken (2013: Rowman-Littlefield) is revered worldwide for its discussion of bipolar disorder and suicide prevention. Yehling has also edited published titles on traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and autism. Another book on which he provided direct author assistance, Home Sweet Anywhere by Lynn Martin (2014: Sourcebooks), was a bestseller. A professional journalist since 1976, Yehling was the recipient of the 2007 Independent Publishers Book Award for his title, Writes of Life: Using Personal Experiences in Everything You Write. He also has won national awards for his work in magazine journalism, online journalism, website editing, and a Bank of America Liberal Arts Award. Besides writing and editing, Yehling teaches cause-based writing and other topics at writers conferences and workshops throughout the United States.