Amphetamines Necessary for Adult Bipolar Syndrome
|
Added: 08/19/2005
Type: Summary
Viewed: 1652 time(s)
[ Not Rated Yet ] |
Amphetamines Necessary for Adult Bipolar Syndrome
Denver, Colo. August 19, 2005 -- A Denver psychiatrist has found in long-term clinical studies that some adults with bipolar disorders need to take stimulants like Ritalin or amphetamines to achieve a full recovery.
"They are suffering from an inherited bipolar syndrome with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and do not respond fully to conventional approaches to bipolar treatment," he said.
"These people and their biological relatives typically experience chronic depression, irritability and anxiety beginning in their childhood years, along with symptoms of ADHD," said Dr. William Niederhut, a graduate of Harvard Medical School. "They may be energetic at times, and even excel at tasks that stimulate them, but often suffer from recurrent depression, irritability, and substance abuse."
"The good news is that many adults with this syndrome can achieve a stable recovery by taking carefully prescribed doses of Ritalin or amphetamines, along with medications commonly used in the treatment of bipolar disorders," he said. "Low dose stimulant treatment actually reduces their tendency to abuse alcohol and other substances."
Researchers at Harvard first identified the syndrome in children a decade ago, but "psychiatrists studying bipolar disorders have been slow to recognize and successfully treat the syndrome in adults," said Dr. Niederhut. "Their studies have tended to focus on hospitalized adults with more severe bipolar disorders who are not candidates for stimulant treatment."
Dr. Niederhut became interested in the Harvard research literature on children with the syndrome two years ago after both of his daughters were diagnosed with childhood bipolar disorders. He then recognized a mild form of the syndrome in himself, and began to identify its features in many of his adult patients.
"I have found that the syndrome is quite common, and can be successfully treated, often with excellent results," he said. "Many of my patients feel well now for the first time in their lives, without symptoms of depression, ADHD, or mania."
For the past two years Dr. Niederhut has been carefully refining his approach to diagnosing and treating the syndrome, which he has called the "COBAD" syndrome, an acronym for "Childhood-Onset Bipolar Attention-Deficit" syndrome. He has published his findings, together with a summary of the research literature on the subject, in his new book, "The COBAD Syndrome: New Hope for People Suffering from the Inherited Syndrome of Childhood-Onset Bipolar Disorder with ADHD," available this month at Amazon.com.
"I am hopeful, and want people to know about this," he said. "I am convinced that the proper diagnosis and treatment of the COBAD syndrome will improve quality of life for many people suffering from chronic irritability and depression."
Contact: William Niederhut, M.D.
650 South Cherry Street, Suite 1060 / Denver, Colorado 80246
Phone: (303) 331-0662 / Fax: (303) 377-3849
|
Article Pages: 1
Article Comments
 Add Comment |
 View All (0)
There are currently no comments for this article.
|
|
Good Resources