Hello everyone,:)

Most of us ADDers are familiar with the diagnostic procedures used for identifying ADHD. A lengthy questionnaire, list of symptoms, case history, parent's reports..and BAMMMM...You have ADHD!!!
:confused:
Many a time, we wonder if the diagnoses is accurate at all. I know I do. I have been diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, Anxiety and Depression. For the past three years, I and my doc(s) have tried several medication combinations to control these comorbid issues. Not much success there.
:faint: I am currently in a situation where I am ready to try anything.

I have heard of Dr.Amen's SPECT scans. I am told that they help in identifying the specific regions of the brain that have anomalies. For example: ADHD is shown by a lack of activity in the frontal lobe...etc. In this way, one can chose medication more accurately.

I would like to know how reliable these scans are. If any one of you have more info about these SPECT scans, please let me know. Also, how many of you have had a SPECT scan done as a part of diagnoses?

:(
Thanking you in advance.
K

Doctors are free to use whatever tools they like, but a spect scan is not diagnostic for ADHD.
It is mostly an advertising gimmick.

ME :D

It has not recieved approval from the FDA as a diagnostic device. With proper clinical trials this might change. Here is another view of what Dr. Amen has to offer:
http://www.quackwatch.org/06ResearchProjects/amen.html

I personally did not do any type of imaging studies when I got diagnosed with ADHD however having a 29 year old women bouncing about in one's office is rather a large clue.

Here are some other threads that address the same topic which may be of interest.


Dr. Amen Clinics, been there? (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27425&highlight=SPECT+scans)


Spectra/Brain Imaging as Diagnostic Tool (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24359&highlight=SPECT+scans)


Can Brain Scans See Depression? (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22447&highlight=SPECT+scans)

Meadd823 wrote:
"I personally did not do any type of imaging studies when I got diagnosed with ADHD however having a 29 year old women bouncing about in one's office is rather a large clue."

This really made me laugh. I just imagined my 10yo at her first appointment, but all grown up. The doctor has a couch buried in stuffed animals. My daughter swam in them, made them into a stack 6ft high and climed on top, rode a giant horse into the waiting room dragging another one for her sister to ride, and tried to take home a pair of matching dogs that were bigger than her.

Kathrick,

When you said ‘I am ready to try anything’ I reacted with empathy and concern. I , too, am diagnosed with ADD, OCD, and Depression with some learning disabilities thrown in for variety. Both of my sons, in addition to having all that I have, also have Tourette Syndrome. I have been dealing with the what to do, which therapy, which medication, which combination of medications question since 1984. It is a constant concern. I have found a balance with my medications but both of my sons, ages 38 and 34, are still working on it. At the level of complexity that they are at it is just not easy.

In my own personal research, coming from my place of ‘I’ll try anything’, I did look into Amen’s work. I have been fortunate and have had a chance to discuss this issue with some of the noted physicians in the ADD world. They all agree that SPECT scans have no value as a diagnostic tool for neurological disorders. The cutting edge research being done at Harvard, Yale and elsewhere is in ‘trying to identify the specific regions of the brain that have anomalies’. It is all being done with Functional MRI’s. To me this is telling.

It is hard to not grab at anything that might work, especially if it has a good salesman that knows what buttons to push. Just be careful, be critical. That someone holds a ‘medical model’ as opposed to a ‘wellness model’ does not make them wrong. That someone holds a ‘wellness model’ does not make them right.



Dan, the TS dad.