No, this is not just another book taking sides in the long-running debate about stimulant medication for ADHD. There is more to it than this. But in a nation where more than one million children take Ritalin [the stimulant of choice in the U.S.A.] there is understandable concern that some may be incorrectly diagnosed, and that the correct use of Ritalin in a multi-modal approach is not always understood. Dr Wright says that many people either embrace the medication as a panacea for a range of problems, or reject it outright. In this book, Dr Wright, a U.S. psychiatrist argues that there is a proper place for stimulant therapy in the wider context of ADHD approaches and treatments.

Drawing on case studies based on her own ADHD patients, Dr Wright shows how her assessments of them combine traditional psychiatric theory of personality development with a modern understanding of ADHD and its own contributions to personality. She sees the culmination of these influences in the difficulties experienced by adults with ADHD.

This is not a professional text-book, though many Australian professionals will be intrigued by the seamless way in which Dr Wright integrates the insights of psychiatry and psychology in her diagnoses and treatments. It is a "fireside chat" book in which the author draws upon her clinical experience, her own investigation of the research literature, and her own views on what works and what doesn’t. It is addressed to the ordinary reader who is seeking a better understanding of what ADHD is, and what treatments are appropriate. Dr Wright advocates major roles for both stimulant therapy and psychotherapy in treating ADHD.

In a chapter entitled "Other Treatments for ADHD", the author examines the arguments regarding the relationship between ADHD and sugar and artificial sweeteners, food additives, food allergies, amino acid therapy, multi-vitamin therapy, biofeedback, sensory integration, yeast infection and exercise. The chapter makes interesting reading, but is not as well referenced as earlier chapters.

The book concludes with an interesting list of ADHD resources available to families including books, videotapes, web-sites and support associations, many of which are available to us in Australia.

Despite a different legal and constitutional framework in our country, and different health and education systems, this book provides an interesting indication of where the debate about stimulant treatment will probably move to in Australia in the course of the next few years.