Page 32 - Scene Magazine September 2023 48-09

For Your Health
BY JEFFRE Psychologi
Y N. ANDERT, PH.D., ABPP
cal Consultants of Michigan, P.C.
Several years ago, Major League Baseball (MLB) convened a national panel of experts on Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to ad- dress a growing concern among Major League teams on which I was privi- leged to serve. It seemed, particularly in the Minor Leagues, players discov- ered the use of stimulant medications for ADHD provided a competitive advantage over their peers in vying for major league rosters. This news spread through locker rooms as players dis- covered medications could be obtained through their primary care physicians by simply reporting ADHD symptoms. As players arrived in training camps with medications in-hand they request- ed exemptions from required drug testing for amphetamines due to their previously obtained ADHD diagno- ses. Having endured the steroid era of unfair drug-enhanced performance,
Integrated Care for ADHD
MLB faced a dilemma regarding the validity of these claims of ADHD and whether exceptions from substance-use monitoring were warranted. Further, they did not want to be associated with the abuse of controlled substances. Their solution was to require objective
adult ADHD evaluations by recognized professionals in psychiatry/psychology using evidence-based assessment tools to determine the validity of each play- er’s diagnosis and need for medication.
This dilemma is not unique to Major League Baseball players. Most primary care physicians face this ques- tion on at least a weekly basis where adult patients or parents of children and adolescents request medication to improve performance in work, school, marriages, etc. Balancing the concerns/ symptom reports of patients with verification of a valid diagnosis can conflict with increasing consequences. The risks of unwarranted prescribing or abuse of medications are enhanced by the watchful eye of regulatory agencies and related liabilities. An increasing number of physicians have understandably dealt with this dilem- ma by refusing to prescribe stimulant
Find Your Primary Care Physician – IHP Can Help
Working with a primary care physician
strengthens the patient to provider relationship and results in more comprehensive and timely care, including palliative care, as trust is built through that relationship.
The IHP mission is to assure accessible, cost effective, high quality health care services for the community, while providing value for our members. We do that through:
• Quality Improvement Programs
• Patient, Provider & Office Staff Education
• Provider Services
• Practice & Administrative
Support Services
• Population Health Services
Accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance since 1999 for Utilization Management and Credentialing. This mark of distinction sets IHP apart from some of its peers in ensuring high quality services!
77 East Michigan Ave., Suite 200, Battle Creek, MI 49017 (269) 425-7110 • www.integratedhealthpartners.net
32 SCENE 4809 I HEALTH ISSUE