Who is Dr. David Velkoff of the Drake Institute?
David F. Velkoff, M.D., Medical Director and co-founder of The Drake Institute of Behavioral Medicine, supervises all evaluation procedures and treatment programs.
Dr. David Velkoff earned his Masters degree in Psychology from the California State University at Los Angeles in 1975, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta in 1976. Dr. Velkoff completed his postgraduate work on Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California Medical Center in Irvine. He then shifted his specialty to Behavioral Medicine and attended Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas to learn biofeedback technology. In 1980, he co-founded the Drake Institute of Behavioral Medicine.
Seeking to better understand the link between illness and the mind, Dr. Velkoff served as the clinical director of an international research study on psychoneuroimmunology with the UCLA Medical School Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
More recently, Dr. Velkoff was named associated editor of the scientific publication, Journal of Neurotherapy
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1) Will my child's ADD get worse as he gets older?
Answer: If not properly treated, his symptoms may worsen as he enters middle school or high school as more is required of him with increased complex academic demands and responsibilities. However, neurologically he will not worsen since it is not a degenerative or progressive neurologic disorder.
2) Will my child outgrow ADD or ADHD?
Answer: Though some hyperactive children may outgrow their hyperactivity by adolescense, the "Inattentive" symptoms" (easily distracted, difficulty staying focused to complete tasks) of ADD or ADHD in childhood will persist for many patients and cause difficulty in their adult lives, if not properly treated. Research has shown that they will have increased likelihood of substance abuse problems, academic underachievement in high school and college, and more difficulty in relationships.
3) My child was put on amphetamines for her ADD as a result of just an interview and filling out a symptom checklist. There was no Brain Map done. Should a Brain Map have been performed and if so, why?
Without a brain map the Physician does not know how the brain is functioning and has a much lower probability of helping the patient acheive optimal functioning for himself or herself. A brain map utilizing quantitative EEG is essential to determine what region or regions of the brain the symptoms are coming from. It pinpoints any areas of the brain that are underfunctioning linked to the patient's symptoms. The best treatment results using EEG Biofeedback (Neurofeedback) are achieved from developing the treament protocols based on linking the brain map findings to the patient's clinical symtoms.
For example, if the frontal region of the brain is underactive on the brain map, then you would expect the child to have difficulty with sustained concentration, and in some children a tendency towards reduced impulse control. Neurofeedback specifically only targets the weak areas to facilitate their becoming stronger. Unfortunately, the drugs are nonspecific and affect every area, even areas that may be already normal. That is why the drugs can actually cause imbalances in areas of the brain that are already working normally.
4) Can drugs stunt my child's growth?
Answer: Stimulant drugs used for ADD or ADHD have been shown to slow down tha child's growth. If you obtain an x-ray of the child's hand, you can determine bone age to see if growth has been simply slowed as opposed to stunted.
5) My son is on Concerta for his ADD. If I bring him to the Drake Institute for your non-drug treatment, do I have to keep going back to the psychiatrist for medication?
It is your choice. Our Medical Director, a physician, recommends staying on medication as you begin our treatment program and then he can oversee and guide you when medication can be reduced as your child improves during treatment. Our Medical Director can take over the prescription and manage the titration process directly in reducing medication as the patient improves, or you could return to the outside psychiatrist for titrating down. Because the child is coming in every week for treatment at Drake Institute and we know closely the progress your child is making, our physician is in the most knowledgeable position to determine when and how to titrate medication down. However, most clinics who provide neurofeedback are not medical clinics and do not have a physician overseeing the care of the patient. This is not the case with the Drake Institute.
6) What is the advantage of EEG biofeedback (neurofeedback) over drugs in treating ADD or ADHD?
Answer: Neurofeedback is safe and can produce long lasting improvement unlike the drugs.
If you or a family member need help, please fill out our confidential online checklist. The Drake Institute will contact you promptly to arrange a free telephone screening consultation with a member of our clinical staff to determine if we can help you.
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