Introduction
The purpose of the review is not entirely clear from reading the first paragraph. The author at this stage is not clear on whether he is focusing on the increasing number of patients with ADHD and bipolar disorders or the similarities and differences between the two. The author chooses to compose the literature review to explain to readers the different researches that have been done to either support the view that ADHD and bipolar disorders are similar or to oppose the view. He then comes to a conclusion that there is no clear line between ADHD and bipolar disorders. This is because both sides pose quite convincing arguments for their views. Some of the claims that the two disorders are similar include the claim that the reaction to medication of ADHD by the children with bipolar diseases was positive and so was that of ADHD patients to bipolar medication.
This is in reference to the article that the author mentions that was written by Gabrielle A. Carlson “Mania and ADHD: comorbidity or confusion” and was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. A good example of an article that the author mentions to show some researchers believe that the two disorders are not similar at all is the FMRI study that was carried out on the brains of the ADHD patients and that of the bipolar patients. The study showed that there were different amounts of activity in the amygdala of children with ADHD as compared to those with bipolar disorders. Therefore the reader cannot therefore establish the purpose of this review unless he reads it completely.
After reading the review, the purpose of the author was to try and explain the relation between ADHD and bipolar disorders. This can be derived from the authors conclusion where he states that there is no clear line between ADHD and bipolar disorders.
Since the author is not only reviewing one study that was made to determine the relation between ADHD and bipolar disorders, he or she chooses to first mention the studies that have been carried out to show that ADHD and bipolar disorders are one and the same thing. The articles written by Chantal Caron and Michael Rutter (2006), Gabrielle A. Carlson (1998), Stephen V. Faraone et al, , James J. Mcgough et al all support this claim. The author then mentions the studies and articles that do not support this claim.
One of the articles that the author mentions is that written by Melissa A. Brotman et al on “Amygdala Activation During Emotion Processing of Neutral Faces in Children With Severe Mood Dysregulation Versus ADHD or Bipolar Disorder” (2009). He or she then comes to a conclusion after reviewing all the articles that the relation between the two disorders is not so clear. Therefore there is a well arranged structure where the reader gets to know the articles that support the view that ADHD and bipolar disorders are similar then gets to know those that oppose this view and then comes to a conclusion.
This structure is very effective as the reader gets to understand the topic of discussion step by step and gets to know how the author came to his conclusion. The author does not do good job at synthesizing the researchers. When a reader skims through this review, he or she will only notice a lot of writers, articles and researchers being mentioned. The author does not go further to explain in detail what the articles focuses on. He should have explained the articles in depth and went further to show which researchers criticized certain studies. This would show how the researcher fit in together. The in depth explanations of the articles would make this draft more of a review than just a summary of sources.
The source material has been used appropriately and can be reliable. The author has integrated the sources well and the reader can easily identify those that are for the view that ADHD and bipolar disorders are similar and those that disagree with this view.
At this point the author should have mentioned that article that opposed the view that ADHD and bipolar disorder were similar that was written after studies were carried out to show that there were different levels of activities in the amyglada of children with the two disorders (Melissa A. Brotman et al, 2009). This would have been more effective because the reader can easily relate the two articles to each other.
Work Cited
Chantel Caron, and Michael Rutter. “Comorbidity in Child Psychopathology: Concepts, Issues and Research Strategies.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Volume 32, Issue 7. 7 DEC 2006. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
Deborah Brauser. “fMRI Distinguishes Between Bipolar Disorder and ADHD.” Medscape Medical News from the: 9th International Conference on Bipolar Disorder (ICBD). 16 June 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
Gabrielle A Carlson. “Mania and ADHD: comorbidity or confusion?” Journal of Affective Disorders, Volume 51, Issue 2. 1 November 1998. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
John McManamy. “The Bipolar-ADD/ADHD Connection, Part II - Lack of Impulse Control or Hypomania?” Health Central, Health Guide. 22 July 2012. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.
Melissa A. Brotman, Brendan A. Rich, and Amanda E. Guyer, et al. “Amygdala Activation During Emotion Processing of Neutral Faces in Children With Severe Mood Dysregulation Versus ADHD or Bipolar Disorder.” The American Journal of Psychiatry, VOL. 167, No. 1. 16 Nov. 2009. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
Stephen V. Faraone, Joseph Biederman, and Janet Wozniak. “Examining the Comorbidity Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Bipolar I Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Family Genetic Studies.” The American Journal of Psychiatry, VOL. 169, No. 12. 01 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Feb.2013.
Traci Pedersen, and John M. Grohol. “Brain Abnormalities Linked to Comorbid ADHD in Bipolar Disorder.” 8 Dec. 2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.
