In our current culture, we are conditioned to turn to pharmaceuticals for every 'ill'-ness, including our emotional conditions. There is a verifiable 'pill for every ill'. However, our emotional disorders are typically chronic, and we are demanding acute chemical interventions from our physicians for our very chronic illness. Such is our demand for immediate gratification regardless of the potentially very hazardous, and even life-threatening, consequences.
This book focuses our attention on one popular movement in recent years, namely the ever-increasing demand for stimulants for emotional well-being and performance enhancement. Whereas, the paradoxical response to stimulants in children with true ADHD, which is thought to be protective against misuse, the regular ingestion of substances like Adderall in normal individuals can lead to abuse and life-threatening complications particularly in our older population.
This growth in the scope of stimulant use has exploded of late and the cardiovascular risks are beginning to become manifest. This manuscript
essentially acts as a public health announcement. However, no serious public health announcement would be credible unless the individuals making such a bold claim were not credible themselves. The three physician authors of this text have a combined total of more than 80 years of clinical experience in the daily treatment of children, adolescents and adults suffering ADHD as well as the spectrum of addiction misuse.