Amphetamines Necessary for Adult Bipolar Syndrome
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. Dr. William Niederhut has published his findings 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
Denver, Colo. (PRWEB) 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
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb274118.htm