The Use of Ritalin in Treating ADD and ADHD
The Use of Ritalin in Treating ADD and ADHD
Moving beyond ADD/ADHD is a book that discussed what Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is. It is a condition for which the medication Ritalin is most commonly prescribed. Its diagnosis is based on problems with attention, focus, impulsivity, or over activity at school or home. The book distinguishes the difference between ADD and ADHD according to the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic and statistical manual, the DSM IV, which is used by insurance companies, school personnel and mental health clinicians.
The text also clarifies (according to the scientific method) the root causes of ADD/ADHD. The root causes determined that ADD/ADHD is not a neurological disfunction. Instead, it is a condition of imbalance within the mind-body level. These imbalances have physical counter parts within the brain wave and biochemical functioning. This causes a “lack of centering and grounding.” Which means that an ADD/ADHD person falls short of being in tune with oneself, and being fully embodied in one’s physical experience (sensing one’s true and authentic thoughts, feelings and needs.)
The principle ideas discussed in Moving Beyond ADD/ADHD are designed to shift the consciousness of a person struggling with ADD/ADHD form the ADD/ADHD state of being to self-containment that is freedom from ADD/ADHD. Furthermore, the text explores alternatives to ADD/ADHD such as medication, nutrition and therapeutic intervention.
I chose this particular book because I am interested in the Behavioral Perspective of Psychology. Jean Piaget, an influential observer of children, developed the Behavioral Perspective. According to behaviorists, learning can be defined as the relatively permanent change in behavior brought about as a result of experience or practice. In fact, the term “learning theory” is often associated with the behavioral view. Researchers who affiliated with this position generally do not look with favor on the term “behavior potential” (i.e., may be capable of performing but did not for some reason such as illness, situation, etc.) that was included in a definition accepted by those with a cognitive or humanistic viewpoint. The focus of the behavioral approach is on how the environment impacts overt behavior.
Furthermore, there are four types of behavioral learning theories. The first is the Contiguity Theory. This theory says that any stimulus and response connected in time and/or space will tend to...