When Experts Disagree

by Marie S. Paxson

If you’ve been following CHADD’s recent blog entries, you are aware of the recent attention paid to the American Heart Association’s recommendation that children and adolescents using medication to treat AD/HD should consider getting an EKG to rule out a rare but serious heart defect. Others in the medical field felt that this recommendation was too assertive and that a physical exam and detailed medical history would suffice. Both sides of the issue agree that a registry should be set up so that there is firm data on exactly how many people are affected when AD/HD medication is used by those with an undiagnosed heart defect.

So as an individual or family member affected by AD/HD where does this leave you? (spoiler alert - I have no answers to this question). The standard advice is to check with your physician. But will he/she know? What is his/her background and training for patients with AD/HD? The answer may vary, but most likely they received significant training on heart function, so that is reassuring.

By now, you have probably experienced other times in your life when experts disagreed. In my family of four, for example, at one time we had two psychologists, a psychiatrist, a pediatrician, and a family doctor helping us with AD/HD-related issues. It didn’t happen often, but there were times when these trusted individuals weren’t on the same page about how to address some of our family’s issues.(Let’s face it, five people can’t agree on pizza toppings, let alone something this complex). Sometimes I could tell by their body language that they weren’t onboard with the other team members, other times they flat-out told us they didn’t see the value in following the other expert’s recommendation.

But I recall the words of my psychologist: “Marie, your family is not a do-it-yourself project!” and she encouraged me to assemble a supportive, knowledgeable team to help with this journey into the unknown. I have to admit my first thoughts upon hearing this were “We can’t be that bad, can we?” But then I realized that no one would have THIS many professionals on her speed-dial if things were going smoothly.

I guess it is a fact of life that those whose opinions we value won’t always agree with each other. So here is what I do when this situation causes confusion for me. I ask myself some questions: will anything negative happen if I take the time to sort things out for a bit? Sometimes new information and facts surface and that will help me make a better decision. Am I catastrophizing – are my concerns reasonable or am I projecting future doom? I learned to catastrophize after so many things went WRONG. Now at least, I recognize when I’m in that zone. Is there any partial action I could take that might be helpful? Is one piece of advice easier to follow than the others? I check with others who are going through a similar situation to get their opinions. And lastly, is anything about this keeping me awake at night? If so, that is what I address quickly.

While professionals will disagree, one question you should ask any physician you are considering – are you familiar with and do you practice the AD/HD evidence-based guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry? At least you can determine their initial understanding of the diagnosis and treatment standards within the medical profession.

Looking for physician guidelines on the treatment of adult AD/HD? (The American Heart Association EKG recommendation pertains to children and teens.) Stay tuned—CHADD’s Professional Advisory Board will be reviewing current guidelines and we will have more information on this in the future.

Marie S. Paxson

Marie S. Paxson is the president of CHADD.