Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Treating Attention Deficit Disorder

Aired November 28, 2003 - 09:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In our "House Call" this morning: new findings from scientists who are working out treatment options for children with attention deficit disorder.
Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is with us now from CNN Center to tell us more about this.

Something that a lot of parents talk about.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, Heidi.

More children get diagnosed with ADD or ADHD than any other psychiatric disorder. And some experts are fearing that Ritalin has become a one-size-fits-all prescription, when, for some of these kids, Ritalin can be a disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): Tyler and his parents know all about Ritalin.

CHRIS SCHWARTZ, FATHER: When he was on the drug, he would be very sedated, almost, to somewhat zombie-like.

GAIL SCHWARTZ, MOTHER: He was almost becoming emaciated. He was becoming so thin. There was a period of time where he couldn't stop chewing on his tongue. And I was laying down with him one night when he was trying to go to sleep. And he just started crying. He was so frustrated that he could not stop chewing his tongue.

COHEN: To figure out why Ritalin and other stimulants weren't working for Tyler, his doctor, Daniel Amen, decided to scan Tyler's brain. Amen's theory? Ritalin can make some people feel crazy.

DR. DANIEL AMEN, PSYCHIATRIST: And that's why Ritalin has a bad reputation. It's not that it's a bad drug. It's a wonderful drug for the right person. It's a disaster for the wrong person.

COHEN: A brain scan, he says, can tell the difference by looking at areas of high activity, the red areas, and inactivity in the brain. After seeing Tyler's scan, Dr. Amen put him on a very low dose of Ritalin, with dietary supplements to help counteract the side-effects. After scanning Eli (ph), Dr. Amen switched him from Ritalin to an anti-seizure medication.

AMEN: Classic ADD, inattentive ADD. COHEN: Dr. Amen believes there are six kinds of ADD in all, each requiring a different type of treatment.

(on camera): So this version of ADD, you recommended what drug?

AMEN: An anti-seizure medicine and then a stimulant.

COHEN: And for this version?

AMEN: It would be an antidepressant.

COHEN (voice-over): While several doctors we interviewed say Dr. Amen hasn't proven his theories are right, they do agree with him on one point.

DR. EDWARD HALLOWELL, PSYCHIATRIST: Imaging is the wave of the future in psychiatry. We need to be able to look at the brain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Now other doctors, including Dr. Hallowell, who we just heard from, prefer other techniques for looking at the brain. There's an EEG out there to look at the brain of ADHD kids or kids with ADD. Also, some people use MRIs.

But it all points to the same thing, that many experts say, to really treat these kids well, we ought to be doing something to take a look at the brain -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, let me just ask you, Elizabeth, if kids don't get this particular scan, are they going to possibly receive inferior care?

COHEN: I asked that question of many doctors. And they said, in most cases, no. They said most children who have ADD, it's relatively straightforward. They have ADD. You put them on stimulant like Ritalin, and it does work.

But they say, there are cases, one doctor said maybe about 25 percent of the cases that he sees, where it's more complicated and where he thinks a scan or some type of imaging would be helpful.

All right, medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much for that today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 28, 2003 - 09:47   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In our "House Call" this morning: new findings from scientists who are working out treatment options for children with attention deficit disorder.
Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is with us now from CNN Center to tell us more about this.

Something that a lot of parents talk about.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, Heidi.

More children get diagnosed with ADD or ADHD than any other psychiatric disorder. And some experts are fearing that Ritalin has become a one-size-fits-all prescription, when, for some of these kids, Ritalin can be a disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): Tyler and his parents know all about Ritalin.

CHRIS SCHWARTZ, FATHER: When he was on the drug, he would be very sedated, almost, to somewhat zombie-like.

GAIL SCHWARTZ, MOTHER: He was almost becoming emaciated. He was becoming so thin. There was a period of time where he couldn't stop chewing on his tongue. And I was laying down with him one night when he was trying to go to sleep. And he just started crying. He was so frustrated that he could not stop chewing his tongue.

COHEN: To figure out why Ritalin and other stimulants weren't working for Tyler, his doctor, Daniel Amen, decided to scan Tyler's brain. Amen's theory? Ritalin can make some people feel crazy.

DR. DANIEL AMEN, PSYCHIATRIST: And that's why Ritalin has a bad reputation. It's not that it's a bad drug. It's a wonderful drug for the right person. It's a disaster for the wrong person.

COHEN: A brain scan, he says, can tell the difference by looking at areas of high activity, the red areas, and inactivity in the brain. After seeing Tyler's scan, Dr. Amen put him on a very low dose of Ritalin, with dietary supplements to help counteract the side-effects. After scanning Eli (ph), Dr. Amen switched him from Ritalin to an anti-seizure medication.

AMEN: Classic ADD, inattentive ADD. COHEN: Dr. Amen believes there are six kinds of ADD in all, each requiring a different type of treatment.

(on camera): So this version of ADD, you recommended what drug?

AMEN: An anti-seizure medicine and then a stimulant.

COHEN: And for this version?

AMEN: It would be an antidepressant.

COHEN (voice-over): While several doctors we interviewed say Dr. Amen hasn't proven his theories are right, they do agree with him on one point.

DR. EDWARD HALLOWELL, PSYCHIATRIST: Imaging is the wave of the future in psychiatry. We need to be able to look at the brain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Now other doctors, including Dr. Hallowell, who we just heard from, prefer other techniques for looking at the brain. There's an EEG out there to look at the brain of ADHD kids or kids with ADD. Also, some people use MRIs.

But it all points to the same thing, that many experts say, to really treat these kids well, we ought to be doing something to take a look at the brain -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, let me just ask you, Elizabeth, if kids don't get this particular scan, are they going to possibly receive inferior care?

COHEN: I asked that question of many doctors. And they said, in most cases, no. They said most children who have ADD, it's relatively straightforward. They have ADD. You put them on stimulant like Ritalin, and it does work.

But they say, there are cases, one doctor said maybe about 25 percent of the cases that he sees, where it's more complicated and where he thinks a scan or some type of imaging would be helpful.

All right, medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much for that today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com