THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 3, 1996 TAG: 9604030010
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Thank you for publishing Dr. Weissman's reply (letter, March 29) to Dr. Granoff's letter (March 23) on the subject of which mental-health professionals should diagnose and treat Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. As a licensed clinical social worker, I would not make a diagnosis of ADHD without benefit of testing by licensed clinical psychologists. Testing is their area of expertise, and the newer instruments are much more definitive than those available in the past.
Medical doctors, whether psychiatrists or pediatricians, should refer patients suspected of having ADHD to a psychologist for testing. Then they would make fewer diagnostic errors resulting in M.D.s' overprescribing drugs.
The state of the art currently is such that misdiagnosis of this disorder should be rare indeed. In my practice, I am finding a significant number of adults who have suffered unnecessarily for years because no one suspected they needed or referred them for an evaluation.
Many patients who have been fortunate enough to get a proper diagnosis were first identified by clinical social workers and the other dedicated professionals Dr. Weissman mentioned (teachers, etc.). I applaud his appeal for a ``team approach.''
ELIZABETH L. SLAMIN, LCSW
Chesapeake, March 29, 1996 by CNB