Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 05:38, 27 September 2010

Daniel G. Amen, M.D. is a child and adult psychiatrist, self-help advisor, author and medical director of the Amen Clinic. He alleges to have done work in evaluating psychiatric and neurological patients with the help of SPECT scanning, especially in the area of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, though no research validating his claims has been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Career and work

Dr. Amen is licensed to practice medicine in California, Arizona, Washington, Virginia and New York. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and the APA's 1987 recipient of the Marie H. Eldredge Award for the best research work. He is the CEO and medical director of The Amen Clinics, Inc. in Newport Beach, California, Fairfield, California, Bellevue, Washington and Reston, Virginia. Amen is also a member of the American Neuropsychiatric Association.

Amen is an unpaid volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree from the Christian Southern California College (now Vanguard University of Southern California) and his doctor of medicine degree from the now-defunct Oral Roberts University School of Medicine.

Amen is the author of 39 professional scientific articles and 27 books, including the NY Times Bestsellers Change Your Brain, Change Your Life; Magnificent Mind At Any Age; and Change Your Brain, Change Your Body. He is the writer, producer, and host of four highly successful public television programs, raising more than $30 million for public television. He is also the producer of a number of audio and video programs. Amen, together with The United Paramount Network and Leeza Gibbons, produced a show called The Truth About Drinking, on alcohol education for teenagers, which won an Emmy Award for the Best Educational Television Show. In 1998, Random House published Amen’s book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, which has been on the New York Times bestseller list, and is translated into 24 languages.

The audiobook for Making A Good Brain Great received Audiofile Magazine’s Earphone Award. Amen has made numerous media appearances including PBS TV and Radio Nationwide, the Dr. Oz Show, Larry King Live, The View, The Today Show, The Rachael Ray Show, The Early Show, Extra TV, CNN, HBO, Discovery Channel, MSNBC, and Fox News. He has been featured in Newsweek, Parade Magazine, The NY Times Magazine, Men's Health, and Cosmopolitan.

Criticism

Scientists and medical professionals have criticized the scientific validity of Amen's work, noting that there are no clinical studies supporting his claims. Although he has not conducted (nor cites) any research validating his brain-based weight-loss scheme, Amen has responded by increasing the number of references in his latest book Change Your Brain, Change Your Body., though none of these references validates the claims he makes. In addition, the review of this book in the American Journal of Psychiatry underscores the fact that "he has not subjected his treatment approaches to the level of systematic scientific scrutiny expected for scientifically based medical practice".

Neurologist Michael Greicius, who runs the Stanford University memory clinic, said "SPECT scans are not sufficiently sensitive or specific to be useful in the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease...The PBS airing of Amen's program provides a stamp of scientific validity to work which has no scientific validity."

In 2005, on Quackwatch.org, a nonprofit organization that investigates what they consider health-related frauds, myths, fads and fallacies, Dr. Harriet Hall, a retired military physician, was far more strident in her criticism:

"Amen's recommendations defy science, common sense and logic. I feel much worse about him now than I did when I wrote the piece because I went back and looked at his Web site again, and I'm just appalled by some of the things that are on it now. He's selling vitamin supplements and he's selling his own line of products. He's turned into big business."

Amen has responded by saying that,

"The Amen Clinics tracks treatment response among its patients. 85% of our patients report a high degree of satisfaction with our services. We are not a typical psychiatric clinic. We typically see patients who have failed 3 or 4 other mental health professionals, and who have an average of 3.5 psychiatric disorders using standard DSM diagnostic measures. No one keeps response rates on such a complex diagnostic group, yet our results are very encouraging."

In turn, Quackwatch.com says that "satisfaction rates" have nothing to do with success rates, and that Amen has never made data about either available for scrutiny. According to its website, Amen Clinics charges $3,375 for a "comprehensive evaluation," which includes the patient's history, two SPECT scans, a physician consultation, and a 30-minute treatment follow-up appointment. Follow-up scans after treatment are $795 each.

Amen also sells vitamins, supplements, and weight-loss formulas at a 700% mark-up, a practice at odds with the standards set forth by the American Medical Association and in direct conflict with the oath taken by Distinguished Fellows of the American Psychiatric Association, which in part reads,

"I further pledge to avoid commercialism in my professional life; to refrain from seeking the public eye for self-aggrandizement; to set fees commensurate with my services and adjust them to the circumstances of my patients; and to avoid any financial practice whatsoever that might debase my profession."

Published and Unpublished Papers -- some peer-reviewed, some not, some scientific, some not

Below is all of my published or submitted peer reviewed scientific papers, even if none of them in any way validates any of the claims I make in my books:

1. Enhancing Regional Cerebral Blood Flow and Cognition in Former NFL Players: A Preliminary Study, Under submission, July 2010

2. Functional Neuroimaging: A Powerful Yet Underutilized Evidence-Based Tool for Transforming Clinical Psychiatric Practice, Under submission, June 2010

3. Impact of Playing Professional American Football on Long Term Brain Function, accepted for publication by the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, August 2010.

We recruited 100 active and former NFL players, representing 27 teams and all positions. Players underwent a clinical history, brain SPECT imaging, qEEG, and multiple neuropsychological measures, including Microcog. Compared to a normal control group players showed global decreased perfusion, especially in the prefrontal, temporal lobe, parietal, occipital and cerebellar regions. qEEG findings were consistent, showing elevated slow waves in the frontal and temporal regions. Significant decreases from normal values were found in most neuropsychological tests. This is the first large-scale brain-imaging study to demonstrate significant differences consistent with a chronic brain trauma pattern in professional football players.

4. Cerebral Blood Flow Changes During Chanting Meditation. Nucl Med Commun. December 2009

Dec;30(12):956-61. Khalsa DS, Amen D, Hanks C, Money N, Newberg A. PURPOSE: To examine changes in brain physiology during a chanting meditation practice using cerebral blood flow single-photon emission computed tomography. METHODS: Single-photon emission computed tomography scans were acquired in 11 healthy individuals during either a resting state or meditation practice randomly performed on two separate days. Statistical parametric mapping analyses were conducted to identify significant changes in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) between the two conditions. RESULTS: When the meditation state was compared with the baseline condition, significant rCBF increases were observed in the right temporal lobe and posterior cingulate gyrus, and significant rCBF decreases were observed in the left parietotemporal and occipital gyri. CONCLUSION: The results offer evidence that this form of meditation practice is associated with changes in brain function in a way that is consistent with earlier studies of related types of meditation as well as with the positive clinical outcomes anecdotally reported by its users.

5. A Comparative Analysis of Completed Suicide using High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 2009

Abstract -- The authors compared regional cerebral blood flow in the brains of 12 psychiatric patients who completed the act of suicide with groups of healthy and nonsuicidal depressed subjects using statistical parametric mapping. Results were consistent with prior imaging studies on depression and were indicative of impaired impulse control and limbic dysregulation, including significant perfusion deficits in the medial prefrontal and subgenual areas (Brodmann’s areas 11, 25) and ventral tegmentum. These results warrant further research.

6. Cerebral blood flow in TBI patients: SPM analysis of HMPAO-SPECT: Presented at the World Congress Brain Injury in Lisbon, Portugal April 2008 with Nienke Boersma, Jan Wiersma, Chris Hanks, Marlies Huijsmans, Hans van Isselt

7. Predicting Positive and Negative Treatment Responses to Stimulants with Brain SPECT Imaging, accepted by Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, June 2008

Jun;40(2):131-8 Abstract -- The goal of this study was to test whether clinician-rated regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) as rendered by SPECT imaging is a meaningful predictor of patient response to CNS stimulants. Chart reviews were used to identify patients who reported prior significant positive and negative responses to CNS stimulants. Each patient in the study had received resting and concentration SPECT scans using Tc99m exametazime. Differences in cerebral blood flow for frontal regions of interest were assessed in three conditions (resting, concentration, and their difference, or “delta”) using ANCOVAs and age-matched ANOVAs. Prefrontal pole deltas were found to be highly sensitive and specific predictors of response to CNS stimulants, with pole activation predicting adverse responses and pole deactivation predicting good responses. Positive and negative predictive values were greater than .75 for both poles. We conclude that SPECT renderings of rCBF, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, are a potentially powerful clinical tool for anticipating response to stimulant medications, both positive and adverse.

8. Preliminary Evidence Differentiating AD/HD from Healthy Controls Using Brain SPECT Imaging in Older Patients, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, June 2008

Jun;40(2):139-46. Abstract -- The objective of this study was to differentiate ADHD patients from a healthy comparison group using high resolution brain SPECT imaging in older patients. Using extensive chart reviews of structured interviews, DSM-IV criteria, and psychiatrist-given diagnoses, we identified 27 patients over age 50 with ADHD, either combined or inattentive types. Patients were compared to an age-matched group of healthy subjects with brain SPECT imaging at rest and during concentration using semiquantitative visual readings. Significantly lower cortical activity is noted in the ADHD group, particularly in the prefrontal poles, orbits, and parietal lobes. Older ADHD patients can be discerned from healthy subjects using brain SPECT. The results support the executive dysfunction model of ADHD.

9. Omentum transposition surgery for patients with Alzheimer's disease: a case series. Neurol Res. April 2008

Apr;30(3):313-25. Shankle WR, Hara J, Bjornsen L, Gade GF, Leport PC, Ali MB, Kim J, Raimo M, Reyes L, Amen D, Rudy L, O'Heany T.

OBJECTIVE: To examine effect of omentum transposition surgery (OT) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Within-subjects design, also known as repeated-measures design, was used. OT was performed on six biopsy-confirmed AD patients (three to the left and right hemispheres each). Follow-up was conducted over 16-50 months. Outcome measures included the sum of the sub-scores of the clinical dementia rating scale (CDRSS), dementia severity rating scale (DSRS), mini-mental status exam (MMSE) and neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), all normalized to 0-1.0. Outcomes were compared to baseline values and to expected decline with and without cholinesterase inhibitors therapy (ChEI). RESULTS: Compared to baseline and to expected decline with ChEI, CDRSS scores were 22 and 39% less impaired at means of 14 and 25 months post-OT, and DSRS scores were 12 and 22% less impaired at means of 14 and 19 months post-OT (p<0.0001). Compared to baseline and expected course with and without ChEI, the MMSE scores of the left hemisphere OT patients were not significantly different for 11, 17 and 22 months respectively (p>0.49), while those of the right hemisphere OT patients more rapidly declined. The two patients with significant pre-operative behavioral problems markedly improved; NPI severity scores decreased by 23 (16%) and 78 (54%) points and were sustained for 22 and 42 months. DISCUSSION: OT yielded cognitive, functional or behavioral improvement for up to 3.5 years in these AD patients. Compared to randomized ChEI clinical trials, OT was 34 times more likely to produce clinically significant improvement. Basic research to identify the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of omentum is warranted.

10. An Analysis of Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Impulsive Murderers Using Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography, J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci Summer 2007 Summer;19(3):304-9 Abstract -- The authors explored differences in regional cerebral blood flow in 11 impulsive murderers and 11 healthy comparison subjects using single photon emission computed tomography. The authors assessed subjects at rest and during a computerized go/no-go concentration task. Using statistical parametric mapping software, the authors performed voxel-by-voxel t tests to assess significant differences, making family-wide error corrections for multiple comparisons. Murderers were found to have significantly lower relative rCBF during concentration, particularly in areas associated with concentration and impulse control. These results indicate that nonemotionally laden stimuli may result in frontotemporal dysregulation in people predisposed to impulsive violence.

11. Brain Imaging In Clinical Practice: Pro/Con: Pro written by Daniel Amen, Clinical Psychiatry News September 2006

12. High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging and EMDR in Police Officers with PTSD, written with Lansing, K, Hanks, C and Rudy, L, J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2005 Fall

Fall;17(4):526-32. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has been shown to be an effective treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study, the authors evaluated the effectiveness and physiological effects of EMDR in police officers involved with on-duty shootings and who had PTSD. Six police officers involved with on-duty shootings and subsequent delayed-onset PTSD were evaluated with standard measures, the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, and high-resolution brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging before and after treatment. All police officers showed clinical improvement and marked reductions in the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale Score (PDS). In addition, there were decreases in the left and right occipital lobe, left parietal lobe, and right precentral frontal lobe as well as significant increased perfusion in the left inferior frontal gyrus. In our study EMDR was an effective treatment for PTSD in this police officer group, showing both clinical and brain imaging changes.

13. The Clinical Use of Brain SPECT Imaging in Neuropsychiatry. With Joseph C. WU, MD. and Blake, Carmichael, PhD. Alasbimn Journal 5(19): January 2003.

http://www2.alasbimnjournal.cl/alasbimn/CDA/sec_b/0,1206,SCID%253D3212,00.html This article reviews the literature on brain SPECT imaging in brain trauma, dementia, and temporal lobe epilepsy. Brain SPECT allows clinicians the ability to view cerebral areas of healthy, low, and excessive perfusion. This information can be correlated with what is known about the function or dysfunction of each area. SPECT has a number of advantages over other imaging techniques, including wider availability, lower cost, and high quality resolution with multi-headed cameras. There are a number of issues that compromise the effective use of SPECT, including low quality of some imaging cameras, and variability of image rendering and readings.

14. Why Don’t Psychiatrists Look At The Brain: The Case for the Greater Use of SPECT Imaging in Neuropsychiatry. Neuropsychiatry Reviews. February 2001, Vol. 2, No. 1. Pages 1, 19-21.

Psychiatrists are the only medical specialists who rarely look at the organ they treat. The odds are that if a patient is having serious problems with feelings (eg, depression), thoughts (eg, schizophrenia), or behavior (eg, violence), the psychiatrist will never order a brain scan. He or she will prescribe medication, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, or a host of other treatments that will change brain function—but will not know which areas of the patient's brain work well, which areas work too hard, and which do not work hard enough. In my opinion, the lack of brain imaging has kept psychiatry behind medicine's other specialties, reducing our effectiveness with patients and hindering our efforts to reduce stigma and improve compliance…

15. Brain SPECT imaging in the assessment and treatment of aggressive behavior: A putative “Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS)” behavioral subtype. Abstract of presentation at the First Conference on “Reward Deficiency Syndrome:” Genetic Antecedents and Clinical Pathways, San Francisco, November 12-13, 2000, in Molecular Psychiatry, Volume 6 Supplement 1, February 2001, page S7

16. Brain SPECT Imaging in Psychiatry. Primary Psychiatry, Vol. 5, No. 8, pgs 83-90, August 1998.

17. High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging in Marijuana Smokers with AD/HD, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Volume 30, No. 2 April-June 1999

A case is presented of a 20-year-old man who became violent on many occasions after ingesting alcohol. On one occasion he committed an armed robbery. Two brain SPECT studies were performed: one when he was alcohol free, and one after he ingested alcohol in the same pattern as the night of the crime. The "alcohol free" study revealed marked hyperactivity in the cingulate gyrus, right and left lateral frontal lobes, right and left lateral parietal lobes and the right lateral temporal lobe. The "alcohol intoxication" study showed an overall dampening effect on the hyperactive areas of the brain, with only the anterior cingulate gyrus showing excessive activity. In addition, the right and left prefrontal cortex became hypoperfused, decreasing impulse control and judgment, as did the left and right temporal lobes, increasing the likelihood for aggression. This study suggests that this man may have been "self-medicating" an overactive brain, but in the process induced a state that increased the likelihood for aggressive behavior. This case study suggests the need for further research in the area of alcohol-induced violence and the potential usefulness of SPECT imaging, although no conclusions can be drawn from one case.

18. High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging in Psychiatry Provides Real Help For Patients: Diagnostic Imaging, November 1996, pages 85-88.

19. Brain SPECT Imaging and ADHD. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 32:5, 1079-1080 (Letter), September 1993

20. High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging in Marijuana Smokers with AD/HD, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Volume 30, No. 2 April-June 1998. Pgs 1-13. Marijuana abuse is common among young Americans and even more common among teenagers and adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). Many teenagers and young adults believe that marijuana is a safe substance to use despite a number of studies demonstrating cognitive impairment with chronic or heavy usage. Brain single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) imaging is being used increasingly in psychiatry to study underlying functional brain problems, including AD/HD. SPECT provides information on cerebral blood flow and metabolic function. Brain SPECT studies were performed on 30 heavy marijuana users (who had used on at least a weekly basis for a minimum of one year) with AD/HD from an outpatient psychiatric clinic and 10 AD/HD control group subjects matched for age and sex who had never used drugs. The three-dimensional surface images were used in the analysis of the scans, and were blindly interpreted without knowledge of the clinical data. Decreased perfusion in the prefrontal cortex was the only abnormality seen in the AD/HD control group (80%). In the marijuana group, there was a similar decrease in the perfusion of the prefrontal cortex while performing the same concentration task (83%). However, the marijuana group also demonstrated marked decreased activity in the right and left temporal lobes. The severe and moderate ratings were found in the heaviest users, but not necessarily the longest users. This study demonstrates decreased cerebral perfusion in the temporal lobe regions of the brain on SPECT imaging from chronic marijuana usage.

21. Visualizing the Firestorms in the Brain: An Inside Look at the Clinical and Physiological Connections between Drugs and Violence Using Brain SPECT Imaging, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Vol. 29 (4), 1997, 307-319. The connection between drugs and violence has been well documented. Understanding the intricacies of this connection is essential to finding effective interventions. Much has been written about the psychosocial causes of these problems, but there have been few studies exploring the biophysiological interface between drug effects, violent behavior and brain metabolism. Over the past eight years, The Amen Clinic has been extensively involved in the clinical use of brain SPECT imaging to evaluate complicated neuropsychiatric problems, especially related to the issues of both violence and substance abuse. From this work several clinical patterns, as well as brain SPECT imaging patterns, have been recognized that may help further our understanding of these problems. In this article, following a brief review of the literature on drugs, violence and the brain, five clinical examples are explored; the authors show how these support the clinical utility of incorporating SPECT imaging into psychiatric assessment of drug abuse and violence. Finally, a model is proposed to help explain the complex interaction between the brain, violence and drug abuse.

22. Oppositional Children Similar To OCD on SPECT: Implications for Treatment, Journal of Neurotherapy, August 1997, pgs 1-8

23. Three Years On Clomipramine: Before and After Brain SPECT Study, Ann Clin Psychiatry, Vol. 9, No. 2, 1997, pgs 113-116. A case is presented of a patient diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, obsessive thinking, anger outbursts, and depression who had a SPECT study prior to treatment and after 3 years of treatment on clomipramine. The follow-up SPECT study showed marked improvement overall in the cerebral perfusion of the brain. At rest marked overactivity was noted in the anterior medial aspects of the frontal lobes, along with "patchy" (increased and decreased) uptake throughout the cortical and subcortical areas of the brain. After treatment for 3 years on clomipramine at 225 mg a day, the follow-up SPECT study revealed a normalization of activity in the anterior medial aspects of the frontal lobes as well as no patchy uptake cortically and subcortically as noted in the study prior to treatment. The clinical usefulness of the SPECT study as it relates to this case is discussed.

24. High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Ann Clin Psychiatry, Vol. 9, No. 2, 1997, pgs 81-86. Children and adolescents with ADHD were evaluated with high-resolution brain SPECT imaging to determine if there were similarities between reported PET and QEEG findings. Fifty-four children and adolescents with ADHD by DSM-III-R and Conners Rating Scale criteria were evaluated. A non-ADHD control group was also studied with SPECT. Two brain SPECT studies were done on each group, a resting study and an intellectual stress study done while participants were doing a concentration task. Sixty-fiver percent of the ADHD group revealed decreased perfusion in the prefrontal cortex with intellectual stress, compared to only 5% of the control group. These are findings consistent with PET and QEEG findings. Of the ADHD group who did not show decreased perfusion, two-thirds had markedly decreased activity in the prefrontal cortices at rest.

25. Windows into the A.D.D. Mind: Essential Knowledge Base for Educators, School of Education Journal, California State University Stanislaus, December 1997, pages 23-29.

26. High Resolution Brain SPECT Imaging in Psychiatry Provides Real Help For Patients: Diagnostic Imaging, November 1996, pages 85-88.

27. Brain SPECT Imaging In Psychiatric Practice: Advance for Radiological Professionals, Vol. 9 No. 16, August 5, 1996, pgs. 12-13

28. Amen, DG, Stubblefield, M, Carmichael B: Brain SPECT Findings and Aggressiveness: Ann Clin Psychiatry, Vol. 8, No. 3, 1996, 129-137. Forty adolescents and adults who exhibited aggressive behavior within the six months prior to evaluation by physically attacking another person or destroying property were evaluated with brain SPECT imaging. A control group of 40 psychiatric patients who had never been reported to exhibit aggressive behavior were also studied. The brain SPECT studies were read blind to aggressiveness by nuclear physician on two separate occasions. The interreading reliability was very high. The brain SPECT patterns of the group with aggressive behavior showed significant differences from the control group in several areas of brain. These findings were most often seen in the following combination: decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex, increased activity in the anteromedial portions of the frontal lobes, leftsided increased activity in the basal ganglia and/or limbic system in comparison to the whole brain and focal abnormalities in the left temporal lobe. These findings indicate a possible cerebral perfusion profile for those who exhibit violent or aggressive behavior. Several case studies and the implications for treatment are discussed.

29. Brain SPECT Imaging and ADHD. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 32:5, 1079-1080 (Letter), September 1993

30. Minimizing the Impact of Deployment Separation on Military Children: Stages, Current Preventive Efforts, and System Recommendations. Military Medicine. 153(9):441-6, 1988 Sep.

31. The Target Theory of Suicide: Ideas on Evaluating the Need for Hospitalization, Resident and Staff Physician Oct. 1987. This paper was awarded the General William C. Menninger Memorial Award for the best paper presented by a psychiatric resident at the annual General William C. Menninger Military Psychiatry Course 1985. The award was presented by Karl Menninger, M.D.

32. The Psychiatrist At Work, published by Psychiatry in Industry committee of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. I served on this committee and contributed to the writing of this monograph.

33. The effects of hypnosis on a parkinsonian tremor: a case report with polygraph/EEG recordings. Am J Clin Hypn 1990 Oct;33(2):94-8 with Harold Wain and B. Jabbari.

34. Emotional Aspects of Surgery. Resident & Staff Physician, Jan 1986, Vol. 32, No. 1, pgs 76-87.

35. Inpatient participation in treatment planning: a preliminary report. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 1986 Jul;8(4):287-90 with Harden J, Hales RE, Lewis G.

36. Emergency Room Use of Hypnosis, written with Harold Wain, General Hospital Psychiatry 8(1):19-22, 1986 Jan. Myths about hypnosis have interfered with its use in emergency settings. Specifically, included are myths about who induces the hypnotic state, the length of induction time, and the traumatized patient's inability to concentrate on a focal point. It is suggested, however, that altered states of awareness occur rapidly and spontaneously in the patient who has experienced acute trauma and/or pain. Two cases are presented that illustrate spontaneous trancelike states occurring in traumatic situations. The cases also show how the recognition of these altered states can facilitate the patient's care and treatment in an emergency setting.

37. The Use of Hypnosis in EPS-Associated Anxiety. Letter to the Editor in The Journal Of Clinical Psychiatry, Feb 1986, Vol. 47, No. 2, pg 98.

38. Post Vietnam Stress Disorder: A Metaphor for Current and Past Life Events. First Prize winner of the Baltimore-D.C. Institute for Psychoanalysis essay contest Nov 1984. Published in the American Journal of Psychotherapy, Oct 1985, Vol. 43, No. 4, pgs 580-586 Delayed posttraumatic stress reactions are often triggered by events that echo the original trauma. It is not uncommon, however, for these delayed reactions to represent a metaphor for other current or past life events. A case is presented that illustrates the diagnostic and therapeutic significance of understanding these reactions as a metaphor.

39. Cardiac Arrhythmias and Hypnotic Intervention: Advantages, Disadvantages, Precautions, and Theoretical Considerations, American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol. 27, No. 1, July 1984, pgs 70-75. Written with Dr. Harold Wain.

Amen's classification

The Amen's classification was created by Amen for classifying psychiatric patients into particular groups of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The Amen classification system defines six different subtypes of ADHD.

These subtypes were created using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging on patients whom Amen claims were known to have ADHD, but for which no data have ever been published. Amen argues that differences seen in the imaging for sufferers of ADHD correspond to the new classification system he has created. A patient can have a range from none to all subtypes of ADHD under the Amen system.

The Amen's classification consists of the following ADHD subtypes:

• Type I - Classic ADD (ADHD)
• Type II - Inattentive ADD
• Type III - Over-Focused ADD
• Type IV - Temporal Lobe ADD
• Type V - Limbic ADD
• Type VI - "Ring of fire" ADD

Awards and Honors

Amen has received the following Awards

• Marie H. Eldridge Award by the American Psychiatric Association 1987 for research.
• Elected Orange Coast College Hall of Fame, April 2001
• Emmy Award Winning Appearance on The Truth About Drinking, United Paramount Network
• Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association, 2005
• AudioFile Earphones Award Winner for Making A Good Brain Great 2006
• NY Times Bestsellers, two at one time, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and Magnificent Mind At Any Age

Current projects

Dr. Amen's new book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body is a long standing New York Times Bestseller as well as a top seller on Amazon.com, also released a jointly produced public television program under the same title. In February 2011 his new book, The Amen Solution will be released by Crown Archetype at Random House.

References

1. "About Amen Clinics". Retrieved 2007-08-17.
2. American Psychiatric Association - Awards
3. http://directory.uci.edu/?amen,%20daniel
4. ^ Hall, Harriet (2005, rev. 2007). "A Skeptical View of SPECT Scans and Dr. Daniel Amen". Quackwatch. Retrieved August 7, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.08121843
6. Burton, Robert (2008-05-12). "Brain Scam: Why is PBS airing Dr. Daniel Amen's self-produced infomercial for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease?". Salon.com. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
7. http://store.amenclinics.com/supplement-categories/
8. Amen, Daniel; Wu, Joseph C.; Bracha, H. Stefan. "Functional neuroimaging in clinical practice". The Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry edited by Kaplan and Sadock 2000
9. Incorvaia, JA; Mark-Goldstein BS; Tessmer D., eds. Brain SPECT Imaging and ADD in Understanding, Diagnosing, and Treating AD/HD in Children and Adolescents: An Integrative Approach. Jason Aronson, Inc, Northvale, New Jersey, 1999, pp.183-196.
10. Reynolds, Cecil; and Elaine Fletcher-Janzen, eds. "Brain SPECT Imaging". Encyclopedia of Special Education, 2006.

External links

• Amen Clinics
• SPECT imaging at Mayo Clinic

Template:Persondata

• American health and wellness writers
• American medical writers
• American psychiatrists
• American self-help writers
• Attention disorders
• American people of Arab descent
• American people of Lebanese descent
• University of California, Irvine faculty
• Oral Roberts University alumni
• Living people
• Vanguard University of Southern California alumni