Center of Attention
Newsletter of CHADD of Northern California
Also at: http://www.chaddnorcal.org/newsletter
28 April 2003

CHADD Works to Improve the Lives of People with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder through Education, Advocacy,
and Support

The Center of Attention is CHADD of Northern California's bi-weekly
newsletter, designed to keep you up to date with CHADD of Northern
California's activities and updates in the field.

===== In This Issue =====

Calendar of Events
Announcements: IDEA ReAuthorization
Feature Article: Bipolar Disorder, a Mixed Blessing of Endowments and Risks
Please Tell Us

===== About the Newsletter =====

The Center of Attention is CHADD of Northern California's bi-weekly
newsletter. The newsletter is designed to keep you up to date with
CHADD of Northern California's activities and updates in the field.
It's a step toward bringing the members closer together.

======== Calendar of Events ==========

Marin - 4/28/2003, Mon. 12:30am-2:30pm
Parent Resource Group -- Call First...
30 Catalpa Ave., Mill Valley - Contact: Victoria Vogel & Holly
Seerly: 415-383-6048
============================
San Francisco - 5/1/2003, Thu. 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Overcoming Dyslexia -- Come hear Dr. Sally Shaywitz discuss her new
book, Overcoming Dyslexia, followed by questions and answers, and a
book signing. Recommended audience: Parents, educators, adult
dyslexics, psychologists. Free.
San Francisco Day School; 350 Masonic Ave., San Francisco - Contact:
Northern California Branch of IDA : Visit www.dyslexia-ncbida.org/
============================
Alameda - 5/2/2003, Fri. 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Promoting Success for Children with Attentional Differences in the
Regular Classroom -- Designed for teachers. Send your child's
teacher, or come as a parent! With Glenn Gelfenbein, MA & Kathy
Allen, MA.
Home/Base; 2750 Todd St., Alameda - Contact: Abiliy Resource Center:
510-595-5548
============================
**** - 5/2/2003, through 5/4/01
ADDA 2003 National Conference on Attention Deficit Disorders --
Keynote Presentations: includes the best national ADD authorities
including Hallowell, Ratey, Solden, Nadeau, Quinn, Novotni,
Goldstein, and many more.
No Directions Available, Portsmouth, VA - Contact: See Website:
www.add.org/conference.htm
============================
Contra Costa - 5/7/2003, Wed. 7-9 pm
Walnut Creek Adult Topical Meeting: TBA --
Kaiser Mental Health, Walnut Creek - Contact: Donna Love: 925-687-4324
============================
San Francisco - 5/7/2003, Wed. 7:30pm
Women's ADD Support Group -- Please Call Lynn to confirm times and
locations before attending.
CPMC Davies Campus, San Francisco - Contact: Lynn: 415-621-1078
============================
Santa Clara - 5/7/2003, Wed. Reg: 7pm, Meet 7:30pm
Coping Skills -- Dr. Michael Hinckley will speak.
Friends Meeting House, Palo Alto - Contact: Silicon Valley Warmline:
650-949-5472
============================
Alameda - 5/10/2003, Sat. 9 am - 3 pm
Breaking the Code: Demystifying the Evaluation Process for Students
with Learning Disabilities -- David Berg, Nancy Cushen White, Jack
Davis and Glenn Gelfenbein guide parents, educators and allied
professionals to better understand and interpret a diagnostic
evaluation. $25
UCB Extension - International Center Auditorium; 2222 Harold Way,
Berkeley - Contact: UC Berkeley Extension: 510-642-4111
============================
Santa Clara - 5/13/2003, Tues.
ADHD: Meeting the Challenges, Embracing the Opportunities
Edward Hallowell, M.D. -- In his Tools for Parents lecture, Dr.
Hallowell will offer an update on his 1994 bestseller, "Driven to
Distraction" and discuss what it takes to ensure that children, no
matter what obstacles they face, grow up to be happy, well adjusted
adults. $15 for advanced tickets.
Camino Ballroom; Rickey's, a Hyatt Hotel; 4219 El Camino Real, Palo
Alto - Contact: Bay Area Parents Magazine: Call 800-657-0288 or visit
www.toolsforparents.com
============================
Marin - 5/13/2003, Tues. 7-9pm
Paperwork Control: Bills and Taxes - A panel of our "Paperwork
Assistants". -- Learn ways to pay bills on time and file paperwork
logically for next years taxes. Meet paperwork assistants who can
help. Bring your tips to share.
Town Center Corte Madera Community Room, Corte Madera - Contact:
Beverlee: 415-789-9464
============================
Alameda - 5/14/2003, Wed. 7 - 9 pm
Tri-Valley Parent Support Meeting --
Thomas J. Hart Middle School, Pleasanton - Contact: JoAnn Matone: 925-484-2173
============================
Online - 5/15/2003, Thu. 6-8:00 PM PST
ADD and Addiction -- Guest Expert: Wendy Richardson, M.A., M.F.C.C., C.A.S.
CHADD Online Chat, Internet - Contact: Message Line: 510-291-2950
============================
Yolo - 5/15/2003, Thu. 7:15 pm to 8:30 pm
County Meeting -- CHADD welcomes all with interest or concerns
regarding attention deficit disorder. An extensive library of books,
articles, tapes and videos will be available for browsing and
check-out at 7:15PM with a refundable deposit.
Davis Branch, Yolo County Library, Davis - Contact: Yolo County
CHADD: 530-750-3929 or online at
www.chaddonline.org/chapters/chadd295.html
============================
San Francisco - 5/17/2003, Sat. 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Parent Education Network Conference - "Helping LD Kids at Home and
School" -- For Parents and Educators: featuring Tucker Geerds, (a
leading expert on Learning Differences), a panel of LD kids and a
Disabilities Workshop.
TBA - Bay Area, - Contact: Dewey Rosetti: E-mail drosetti@...
============================
San Francisco - 5/19/2003, Mon. 7:00 - 9pm
Adult Success Group -- Share skills and strategies for success at
home, in the workplace, in relationships, etc.
CPMC Pacific Campus, San Francisco - Contact: Rachel Rosenfeld: 415-362-7227
============================
Marin - 5/20/2003, Tues. 7-9pm
Got Clutter? A drop-in peer-support group for organizing. -- SueZee
Poinsett; Professional coach and organizer, Member of Na. Assoc.
Professional Organizers. 415-492-8822. Cost: $10 donation
Marin Community Mental Health, Greenbrae - Contact: Beverlee: 415-789-9464
============================
Contra Costa - 5/21/2003, Wed. 7-9 pm
Walnut Creek Adult General Support Meeting -- Ongoing, confidential
support groups for Adults with ADHD
Kaiser Mental Health, Walnut Creek - Contact: Donna Love: 925-687-4324
============================
Santa Clara - 5/21/2003, Wed. Reg: 7pm, Meet 7:30pm
Silicon Valley Adult, Parent and Spouse Support Groups -- Separate
peer-facilitated groups let you share struggles and strategies with
each other. Includes video.
Friends Meeting House, Palo Alto - Contact: Silicon Valley Warmline:
650-949-5472
============================
Sonoma - 5/28/2003, Wed. 7 - 9 pm
Speaker: Nancy J. LoDolce, Attorney at Law. -- Ms. LoDolce
represents families and children in general/special education matters
including mediations, hearings on special education, suspension and
expulsion issues, court appearances and other disputes involving
educational matters. After a brief introduction and presentation,
Ms. LoDolce will open the floor to answer your questions and concerns.
Kaiser Medical Office Building East, Santa Rosa - Contact: Sonoma
Warmline: More information and directions: 707-765-4863
============================
Santa Clara - 5/28/2003, Wed. 7:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Maximize Learning and Joy by Bridging the Gap Between Left and Right
Brain Hemispheres -- Drawing on her 30+ years as a teacher,
psychologist and writer, Linda Skerbee shares how the brain truly
learns and retains knowledge, and what the Myers-Briggs reveals about
the ADD personality. Her book can work for all teachers and students
alike. Book-signing after her lecture.
Friends Meeting House, Palo Alto - Contact: Kitty Petty ADD/LD
Institute: 650-329-9443 or visit www.kpinst.org
============================

======== Announcements ==========

IDEA, the fundamental legislation that protects children with ADHD in
schools, is up for reauthorization. The bill HR1350 has been very
controversial in this regard!

This affects you very directly, so please stay informed!

For more information, see CHADD website at: http://capwiz.com/chadd/home

When you enter your zip code, you go to a page with your Senators'
and Representative's names.

Virtually all of the other disabilities rights organizations are
mobilizing around this. One exciting alternative is a "CALL-IN Day"
from Disabilities Rights Education Defense Fund (DREDF):

"Every parent & advocate can make at least one phone call ON Tuesday,
April 29 to oppose HR 1350 in addition to other letter/fax writing &
personal visits to Congress underway in opposition to 1350"

There is also a popular online petition that you can look at:

www.petitiononline.com/IDEA2003/petition.html

Don't stay in the dark on this one!

===== Feature Article ======

Here is a summary of the NAMI Marin meeting on Monday, 4/14, by
Beverlee Kell and Joan Olsson.

Bipolar Disorder, a mixed blessing of endowments and risks

The April general meeting featured Dr. Michael Freeman, a Marin
county psychiatrist and a psychologist Robert Reiser, Ph.D., who
specialize in Bipolar Disorder. They will be offering 10-session
psycho-educational therapy groups to help individuals with Bipolar
Disorder build on their strengths and better manage moods. For more
information, they can be reached at 415-378-6678 or 415-456-5256.

Dr. Freeman described Bipolar Disorder as a constellation of special
gifts and certain risks. Those gifts may include tremendous
creativity, energy, stamina, vision, love of work, ability to think
across conventional lines, innovative novel solutions, charisma and
gregariousness associated with mania or hypomania (low-grade
mania/euphoria.) Heightened creativity often is a hallmark of the
bipolar individual as shown in such historical figures as Winston
Churchill, Van Gogh, Hemingway, Jackson Pollack, T.S. Elliott, and
Michelangelo. Research suggests that medication does not impair
creativity and definitely improves productivity.

Bipolar Disorder has now expanded to four subtypes. More than half of
those with Bipolar Disorder have an onset before age 20, so there is
a significant population of bipolar children. The most common ages of
onset are age 5, 10, 15 and 17-21. In children with bipolar disorder,
depression will manifest as social withdrawal. See the child mood
chart at www.bpkids.org.

Dr. Freeman discussed the differential diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder
and ADHD(attention deficit disorder.) Recent data shows that about
30-40% of persons with Bipolar Disorder also have ADHD (attention
deficit disorder) or learning disabilities. In children with Bipolar
Disorder, about 70% are also ADHD. About 20-30% of persons with ADHD
also have Bipolar disorder. Both disorders include symptoms of high
energy, distractibility and impulsivity. The characteristics that
seem to best differentiate Bipolar Disorder from ADHD are
grandiosity, hyper-sexuality and reduced need for sleep. When Bipolar
Disorder is treated the symptoms of distractibility and impulsivity
usually improve. Neurostimulant medication used to treat ADHD can
make Bipolar Disorder worse. When the two disorders co-occur, the
physician must use extreme care to stabilize mood first before
considering neurostimulants.

Dr. Reiser described three specialized therapies that, along with
medication, do work to prevent or reduce the severity and duration of
relapse:

1) "Family Focused treatment." He highly recommended the Bipolar
Disorder Survival Guide by David Miklowitz.

2) "Interpersonal Social Rhythm therapy" developed by Ellen Frank,
PhD (Univ. of Pittsburg) which teaches how to stabilize sleep and
wake cycles and how to recognize mood shifts by mood graphing. He
said that insomnia is an incredible path to mania.

3) "Cognitive Behavioral therapy" which helps a person reframe how
they think about things. Here Dr. Reiser recommended David Burn's
book Feeling Good. Also see his web site www.feelinggood.com. A good
self-help web site for bipolar individuals is www.dbsalliance.org/

An estimated 60-70% of bipolar individuals also misuse substances
such as alcohol and illegal drugs. Some will use stimulating activity
or drugs to stay manic or to activate themselves out of depression.
The task of getting them to recognize they have a problem sometimes
can be solved with "motivational interviewing" which elicits a plan
from the client rather than imposing a plan on the client. For
families dealing with medication non-compliance, the Kay Jamison
book, An Unquiet Mind was recommended.
Parents have a difficult role of trying to anticipate and prevent
harm and at the same time allow a child to experience some
consequences. A turning point does not occur for some unless they
faced with very serious consequences.

Dr Freeman said that medications require constant titration and for
the client it becomes an art. Drugs used to treat Bipolar Disorder
may include: 1) lithium, 2) mood stabilizers (anticonvulsants) such
as tegretol, lamictal and topamax 3) atypical antipsychotics such as
risperodone, Xyprexa, and clozapine, 4) anti-depressants, and 5)
sleep medications. The only alternative therapy shown to provide
possible benefits is Omega 3 fatty acids, 3 to 4 grams a day.

===== Please Tell Us! =====

We thank members for their responses to the Newsletter. Any comments,
suggestions, or criticisms will be greatly appreciated. Please
continue to help us make this newsletter more beneficial to you all.

We also invite readers to share their experiences with us and other
members. Please feel free to write to us about anything that you
would like to see published.

You can e-mail your comments to us at CHADD_Dimples@....
Simply replying to this e-mail will also send your message to the
right place.