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'''Daniel Gregory Amen''' (born 1954)<ref name="washpostmag">{{cite news |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/daniel-amen-is-the-most-popular-psychiatrist-in-america-to-most-researchers-and-scientists-thats-a-very-bad-thing/2012/08/07/467ed52c-c540-11e1-8c16-5080b717c13e_story.html |title= Daniel Amen is the most popular psychiatrist in America. To most researchers and scientists, that’s a very bad thing. |first= Neely |last= Tucker |date= August 9, 2012 |newspaper= ] |accessdate= }}</ref> is an American ],<ref name= "ABPN Cert">{{citation |title= Amen, Daniel Gregory, MD |work=ABPN verify CERT|publisher= ] (ABPN) |postscript= .}}</ref> a ] specialist,<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news |title= For former kicker, the price of fearlessness |first= Brett Michael |last= Dykes |date= January 27, 2013 |newspaper= ] |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/sports/football/super-bowl-tom-dempsey-former-nfl-kicker-is-dealing-with-dementia.html |accessdate= }}</ref> director of the ]s,<ref name=mad>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70056-5 |title= Neuropolitics gone mad |year= 2008 |last1= Butcher |first1= James |journal= ] |volume= 7 |issue= 4 |page= 295}}</ref> and a '']'' ] author.<ref name="Daily Beast">{{cite web |url= http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/14/can-daniel-amen-read-your-mind.html |title= Can Daniel Amen read your mind? |work= ] |first= Eliza |last= Shapiro|date=December 14, 2012 |accessdate= 2013-10-09}}</ref> '''Daniel Gregory Amen''' (born 1954)<ref name="washpostmag">{{cite news |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/daniel-amen-is-the-most-popular-psychiatrist-in-america-to-most-researchers-and-scientists-thats-a-very-bad-thing/2012/08/07/467ed52c-c540-11e1-8c16-5080b717c13e_story.html |title= Daniel Amen is the most popular psychiatrist in America. To most researchers and scientists, that’s a very bad thing. |first= Neely |last= Tucker |date= August 9, 2012 |newspaper= ] |accessdate= }}</ref> is an American ],<ref name= "ABPN Cert">{{citation |title= Amen, Daniel Gregory, MD |work=ABPN verify CERT|publisher= ] (ABPN) |postscript= .}}</ref> a ] specialist,<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news |title= For former kicker, the price of fearlessness |first= Brett Michael |last= Dykes |date= January 27, 2013 |newspaper= ] |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/sports/football/super-bowl-tom-dempsey-former-nfl-kicker-is-dealing-with-dementia.html |accessdate= }}</ref> director of the ]s,<ref name=mad>{{cite journal |doi= 10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70056-5 |title= Neuropolitics gone mad |year= 2008 |last1= Butcher |first1= James |journal= ] |volume= 7 |issue= 4 |page= 295}}</ref> and a '']'' ] author.<ref name="Daily Beast">{{cite web |url= http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/14/can-daniel-amen-read-your-mind.html |title= Can Daniel Amen read your mind? |work= ] |first= Eliza |last= Shapiro|date=December 14, 2012 |accessdate= 2013-10-09}}</ref>


Amen's clinics offer ] to people who have ] (ADHD) and other ]. They use ] (SPECT) as a purported ] tool to identify what he says are sub-categories of these disorders, as devised by Amen.<ref name="ChatterjeeFarah2013">{{cite book|editor1-first= Anjan |editor1-last= Chatterjee |editor2-first= Martha J. |editor2-last= Farah |editor1-link= Anjan Chatterjee (neuroscientist) |editor2-link= Martha Farah |title= Neuroethics in Practice |chapter= Ch. 11 Neuroimaging in Clinical Psychiatry |first1= Martha J. |last1= Farah |first2= Seth J. |last2= Gillihan |authorlink1= Martha Farah |year= 2013 |publisher= ] |isbn= 9780195389784|pages= }}</ref> However, Amen's use of SPECT scans to aid in ] and ] ] is based on unproven claims and has been widely criticized.<ref name= "washpostmag"/><ref name= "Telegraph2013" /><ref name=Farah2009/><ref name=Farah2012>{{cite journal |last1=Farah |first1= M.J. |last2= Gillihan |first2= S.J. |authorlink1= Martha Farah |title= The puzzle of neuroimaging and psychiatric diagnosis: Technology and nosology in an evolving discipline |journal= AJOB Neuroscience |volume= 3 |issue= 4 |pages= 31–41 |year= 2012 |pmid= 23505613 |pmc= 3597411 |doi= 10.1080/21507740.2012.713072 |quote=The lack of empirical validation has led to widespread condemnation of diagnostic SPECT as premature and unproven.}}</ref><ref name=Hall2005>{{cite web |last= Hall |first= Harriet |authorlink= Harriet A. Hall |url= http://quackwatch.org/06ResearchProjects/amen.html |title= A Skeptical View of SPECT Scans and Dr. Daniel Amen |work= ] |origyear= 2005 |year= 2007 | accessdate= 2014-03-11}}</ref> Amen's clinics offer ] to people who have ] (ADHD) and other ]. They use ] (SPECT) as a purported ] tool to identify what he says are sub-categories of these disorders, as devised by Amen.<ref name="ChatterjeeFarah2013">{{cite book|editor1-first= Anjan |editor1-last= Chatterjee |editor2-first= Martha J. |editor2-last= Farah |editor1-link= Anjan Chatterjee (neuroscientist) |editor2-link= Martha Farah |title= Neuroethics in Practice |chapter= Ch. 11 Neuroimaging in Clinical Psychiatry |first1= Martha J. |last1= Farah |first2= Seth J. |last2= Gillihan |authorlink1= Martha Farah |year= 2013 |publisher= ] |isbn= 9780195389784|pages= }}</ref>


Amen has done studies on ] affecting professional athletes,<ref name="nytimes.com"/> and he is a ] consultant for the ].<ref name="tampabay.com">{{cite news |title= All-Star Kariya ends career |newspaper= ] |date= June 29, 2011 |url= http://www.tampabay.com/sports/all-star-kariya-ends-career/1178053 |accessdate= }}</ref> Amen has done studies on ] affecting professional athletes,<ref name="nytimes.com"/> and he is a ] consultant for the ].<ref name="tampabay.com">{{cite news |title= All-Star Kariya ends career |newspaper= ] |date= June 29, 2011 |url= http://www.tampabay.com/sports/all-star-kariya-ends-career/1178053 |accessdate= }}</ref>
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===SPECT scanning=== ===SPECT scanning===
Amen's practices use ], or SPECT, scans of brain activity in an attempt to compare the activity of a person's brain to a known healthy model.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} Amen ] both ] and non-medicative courses of treatment, depending on the case. He also performs before-and-after SPECT scans, which claim to assess how well treatment is working.<ref>{{cite book |page= |title= Getting Started with Neurofeedback |chapter= Ch. 6 Brain Maps, Quantitative Electroencephalograph, and Normative Databases |first= John N. |last= Demos |publisher= ] |year= 2005 |isbn= 9780393075533}}</ref> Amen's clinics claim to have the world's largest database of functional brain scans for ].<ref name="webmd.com"/> {{Asof|2009}}, Amen said he had scanned 50,000 people at an estimated cost of $170 million.<ref name=chancellor>{{Cite journal |last1= Chancellor |first1= B. |last2= Chatterjee |first2= A. |authorlink2= Anjan Chatterjee (neuroscientist) |doi= 10.1080/21507740.2011.611123 |title= Brain branding: When neuroscience and commerce collide |journal= AJOB Neuroscience |volume= 2 |issue= 4 |page= 18 |year= 2011 |quote=Amen Clinics, Inc., has scanned more than 50,000 patients at a cost close to $170 million.}}</ref> Amen's practices use ], or SPECT, scans of brain activity in an attempt to compare the activity of a person's brain to a known healthy model.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} Amen ] both ] and non-medicative courses of treatment, depending on the case. He also performs before-and-after SPECT scans, which claim to assess how well treatment is working.<ref>{{cite book |page= |title= Getting Started with Neurofeedback |chapter= Ch. 6 Brain Maps, Quantitative Electroencephalograph, and Normative Databases |first= John N. |last= Demos |publisher= ] |year= 2005 |isbn= 9780393075533}}</ref> Amen's clinics claim to have the world's largest database of functional brain scans for ].<ref name="webmd.com"/> {{Asof|2009}}, Amen said he had scanned 50,000 people at an estimated cost of $170 million.<ref name=chancellor>{{Cite journal |last1= Chancellor |first1= B. |last2= Chatterjee |first2= A. |authorlink2= Anjan Chatterjee (neuroscientist) |doi= 10.1080/21507740.2011.611123 |title= Brain branding: When neuroscience and commerce collide |journal= AJOB Neuroscience |volume= 2 |issue= 4 |page= 18 |year= 2011 |quote=Amen Clinics, Inc., has scanned more than 50,000 patients at a cost close to $170 million.}}</ref>

John Seibyl of the ] has stated that there is no debate that SPECT is not valuable for diagnosing psychological disorders.<ref name= "Telegraph2013"/> A 2012 review by the ] found that ] studies "have yet to impact significantly the diagnosis or treatment of individual patients."<ref name= "APA2012">{{cite web |last1= First |first1= M. |last2= Botterton |first2= K. |last3= Carter |first3= C. |last4= Castellano |first4= F.X. |last5= Dickstein |first5= D.P. |last6= Drevets |first6= W. |last7= Kim |first7= K.L. |last8= Pescosolido |first8= M.F. |last9= Rausch |first9= S. |last10= Seymour |first10= K.E. |last11= Sheline |first11= Y. |last12= Zubieta |first12= J.-K. |displayauthors= 4 |date=July 2012 |title= Consensus Report of the APA Work Group on Neuroimaging Markers of Psychiatric Disorders |type= Resource Document |department= APA Official Actions |url= http://www.psychiatry.org/file%20library/learn/archives/rd2012_neuroimaging.pdf |publisher= Board of Trustees; ] (APA)}}</ref> The review also states that ] studies "do not provide sufficient specificity and sensitivity to accurately classify individual cases with respect to the presence of a psychiatric illness."<ref name= "APA2012">{{cite web |last1= First |first1= M. |last2= Botterton |first2= K. |last3= Carter |first3= C. |last4= Castellano |first4= F.X. |last5= Dickstein |first5= D.P. |last6= Drevets |first6= W. |last7= Kim |first7= K.L. |last8= Pescosolido |first8= M.F. |last9= Rausch |first9= S. |last10= Seymour |first10= K.E. |last11= Sheline |first11= Y. |last12= Zubieta |first12= J.-K. |displayauthors= 4 |date=July 2012 |title= Consensus Report of the APA Work Group on Neuroimaging Markers of Psychiatric Disorders |type= Resource Document |department= APA Official Actions |url= http://www.psychiatry.org/file%20library/learn/archives/rd2012_neuroimaging.pdf |publisher= Board of Trustees; ] (APA)}}</ref> The ] has concluded that, "the available evidence does not support the use brain imaging for clinical diagnosis or treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents."<ref name= "APA2005">{{cite web |title=Resource Document on Brain Imaging and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry With Special Emphasis on Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) |date=January 2005 |publisher= Joint Reference Committee; ] (APA) |url= http://www.psychiatry.org/file%20library/learn/archives/rd2005_spect.pdf |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150523023035/http://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Learn/Archives/rd2005_SPECT.pdf |archivedate= 2015-05-23 |author1=Council on Children, Adolescents |author2=Their Families |accessdate= 2014-03-14 |department= APA Official Actions}}</ref> According to cognitive neuroscience researcher ] and psychologist S. J. Gillihan, "The lack of empirical validation has led to widespread condemnation of diagnostic SPECT as premature and unproven."<ref name= "Farah2012"/>

===Ethics===
Questions have been raised about the ] of selling SPECT scans on the basis of unproven claims: ] professor ] calls such use "profitable but unproven" and says "Tens of thousands of individuals, many of them children, have been exposed to the radiation of two SPECT scans and paid thousands of dollars out of pocket (because insurers will not pay) against the advice of many experts".<ref name=Farah2009>{{cite journal |last= Farah |first= M.J. |authorlink= Martha Farah |title= A picture is worth a thousand dollars |journal= ] |volume= 21 |issue= 4 |pages=623–4 |year= 2009 |pmid= 19296729 |doi= 10.1162/jocn.2009.21133 |type= Editorial}}</ref> Professor of ] ] has said of Amen's theory: "Before you start promulgating this and marketing it and profiting from it, you should ethically be bound to demonstrate it scientifically in a peer-reviewed, respected journal" as otherwise "you're just going down the path of being a snake oil salesman".<ref name=washpostmag/> In a 2011 paper the ] ] discussed example cases that were found on the Amen Clinic's website including a couple with marital difficulties and a child with impulsive aggression. The paper noted that the examples "violate the ]" because a normal clinical diagnosis would have been sufficient and that there "was no reason to obtain functional neuroimaging for diagnostic purposes in these cases."<ref name=chancellor/> Most patients do not realise that the SPECT scans rely on unproven claims.<ref name="ChatterjeeFarah2013"/>

An initial session at one of Amen's clinics costs about $3,500.<ref name= "washpostmag"/> Amen's claims for the use of SPECT are "no more than myth and poppycock, buffaloing an unsuspecting public," according to officials at major psychiatric and neuroscience associations and research centers.<ref name= "washpostmag"/>


===Work for athletes=== ===Work for athletes===
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In his book ''Making a Good Brain Great'', he provided his analysis and recommendations for brain improvement purported to enhance a person's overall happiness and ability. For example, he suggested that ] which challenge the brain are important to ensuring a happy life, as he believes they force the brain to learn and evolve over time.<ref>{{cite book |page= |title= Best You Ever: 365 Ways to be Richer, Happier, Thinner, Smarter, Younger, Sexier, and More Relaxed - Each and Every Day |first= Rebecca |last= Swanner |publisher= ] |year= 2010 |isbn= 9781440510717}}</ref> ] characterized the book as consisting of "commonplace recommendations for self-improvement."<ref name=davithortnton/> In his book ''Making a Good Brain Great'', he provided his analysis and recommendations for brain improvement purported to enhance a person's overall happiness and ability. For example, he suggested that ] which challenge the brain are important to ensuring a happy life, as he believes they force the brain to learn and evolve over time.<ref>{{cite book |page= |title= Best You Ever: 365 Ways to be Richer, Happier, Thinner, Smarter, Younger, Sexier, and More Relaxed - Each and Every Day |first= Rebecca |last= Swanner |publisher= ] |year= 2010 |isbn= 9781440510717}}</ref> ] characterized the book as consisting of "commonplace recommendations for self-improvement."<ref name=davithortnton/>

''Healing the Hardware of the Soul,'' written by Amen in 2008, was reviewed in the '']'' by Andrew Leuchter. "Dr. Amen makes a good case for the use of brain imaging to explain and medicalize mental disorders," Leuchter said. "However, the reader who has any degree of familiarity with mental illness and brain science is left unconvinced that his highly commercialized use of scanning is justified." Leuchter concluded that Amen "has not subjected his treatment approaches to the level of systematic scientific scrutiny expected for scientifically based medical practice."<ref name= "Leuchter2009">{{cite journal |journal= ] |volume= 166 |issue= 5 |year= 2009 |title= Healing the Hardware of the Soul: Enhance Your Brain to Improve Your Work, Love, and Spiritual Life |last= Leuchter |first= A.F. |type= book review |page= 625 |doi= 10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.08121843 |url= http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/AJP/3890/09aj0625.PDF}}</ref>


In his book ''The Brain in Love,'' Amen described the brain activity that occurs during chanting ] as similar to those which take place during the feeling of love and sexual activity.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Chemistry of Love |first1= Maryanne |last1= Fisher |first2= Andrea |last2= Bradford |publisher= ] |year= 2010 |at= |chapter= Ch. 14 Sex Inhibitors |isbn= 9781101478035}}</ref> In his book ''The Brain in Love,'' Amen described the brain activity that occurs during chanting ] as similar to those which take place during the feeling of love and sexual activity.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Chemistry of Love |first1= Maryanne |last1= Fisher |first2= Andrea |last2= Bradford |publisher= ] |year= 2010 |at= |chapter= Ch. 14 Sex Inhibitors |isbn= 9781101478035}}</ref>
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===Television programs=== ===Television programs===
Amen has produced television programs about his theories. One of them, "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," was aired by ] 1,300 times in 2008 during fund-raising drives.<ref name= "burton"/> Amen has produced television programs about his theories. One of them, "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," was aired by ] 1,300 times in 2008 during fund-raising drives.<ref name= "burton"/>
Another, "Magnificent Mind at Any Age with Dr. Daniel Amen," was aired before January 1, 2009.<ref name=rtc>{{cite book |last= Carroll |first= Robert Todd |authorlink= Robert Todd Carroll |title= ] |chapter= PBS Infomercial for Daniel Amen's Clinics |chapter-url= http://www.skepdic.com/skeptimedia/skeptimedia30.html |edition= Online |date= January 1, 2009 |accessdate= 2014-03-11}}</ref>
Another, "Magnificent Mind at Any Age with Dr. Daniel Amen," was aired before January 1, 2009.<ref name=rtc>{{cite book |last= Carroll |first= Robert Todd |authorlink= Robert Todd Carroll |title= ] |chapter= PBS Infomercial for Daniel Amen's Clinics |chapter-url= http://www.skepdic.com/skeptimedia/skeptimedia30.html |edition= Online |date= January 1, 2009 |accessdate= 2014-03-11}}</ref> Neurologist Michael Greicius, director of the Stanford Center for Memory Disorders and principal investigator of the Functional Imaging in Neuropsychiatric Disorders Laboratory at Stanford University stated, "The PBS airing of Amen’s program provides a stamp of scientific validity to work which has no scientific validity."<ref name= "burton"/><ref>{{cite web |title= Translational Research - Stanford Center for Memory Disorders - Neurology & Neurological Sciences - Stanford University School of Medicine: Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease |url= http://neurology.stanford.edu/memory/alzheimers/diagnosing.html |website= neurology.stanford.edu |accessdate= 2014-07-02}}</ref> These programs have been described as ]s for Amen's clinics. The program's depiction of the "wonders of ginkgo and other 'natural' products such as ]" was also criticized.<ref name= "burton"/><ref name=rtc/> ] skeptic and physician ] and neurologist ] criticized PBS for the airing of these programs.<ref name= "burton"/><ref name= "Hall2013"/> ], the PBS ], replied that "PBS had nothing to do with the 'Brain' program's content and did not vet the program in any way." Local PBS affiliates "make their own editorial decisions based on their own guidelines about what to air," he wrote.<ref name= "Hall2013"/><ref name= "PBS Ombud">{{cite web |last= Getler |first= Michael |authorlink= Michael Getler |date= May 20, 2008 |title= Caution: That Program May Not Be From PBS |url= http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2008/05/caution_that_program_may_not_b.html |department= PBS Ombudsman |website= pbs.org |publisher= ] |accessdate= 2014-03-14}}</ref>


===Dietary supplements=== ===Dietary supplements===
Amen's websites market ]s and a branded range of other dietary supplements.<ref name=burton>{{cite web |url= http://www.salon.com/2008/05/12/daniel_amen/ |title= Brain scam: Why is PBS airing Dr. Daniel Amen's self-produced infomercial for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease? |work= ] |accessdate= 2014-03-11 |date= May 12, 2008 |last= Burton |first= Robert A. |authorlink= Robert A. Burton}}</ref> These supplements have been promoted for a number of health benefits, including a claimed ability to prevent or stop ]&mdash;there is however no known benefit from taking such supplements except for specific substance deficiencies.<ref name=rtc/><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Guallar |first1= E. |last2= Stranges |first2= S. |last3= Mulrow |first3= C. |last4= Appel |first4= L.J. |last5= Miller |first5= E.R., III |displayauthors= 4 |title= Enough is enough: Stop wasting money on vitamin and mineral supplements |journal= ] |volume= 159 |issue= 12 |pages= 850–1 |year= 2013 |pmid= 24490268 |type= editorial |doi= 10.7326/0003-4819-159-12-201312170-00011 |url= http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1789253}}</ref> Neurologist ] has written that he was "just appalled" by the things offered for sale on Amen's "big business" web sites,<ref name=burton/> and Harriet Hall has said that Amen prescribes "inadequately tested natural remedies" and "irrational mixtures of nutritional diet supplements" as part of his treatment.<ref name=Hall2013>{{cite web |last= Hall |first= Harriet |authorlink= Harriet A. Hall |url= http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/dr-amens-love-affair-with-spect-scans/ |title= Dr. Amen's Love Affair with SPECT Scans |publisher= Science-Based Medicine |date= March 19, 2013 |accessdate= 2014-03-11}}</ref> Amen's websites market ]s and a branded range of other dietary supplements.<ref name=burton>{{cite web |url= http://www.salon.com/2008/05/12/daniel_amen/ |title= Brain scam: Why is PBS airing Dr. Daniel Amen's self-produced infomercial for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease? |work= ] |accessdate= 2014-03-11 |date= May 12, 2008 |last= Burton |first= Robert A. |authorlink= Robert A. Burton}}</ref> These supplements have been promoted for a number of health benefits, including a claimed ability to prevent or stop ].

===Reception===
Amen's popularity and financial success have been discussed in the ].<ref name= "Daily Beast"/><ref name= "Telegraph2013"/> In 2012, ''The Washington Post Magazine'' ran a cover story titled "Daniel Amen is the most popular psychiatrist in America. To most researchers and scientists, that's a very bad thing." ''The Washington Post'' detailed Amen's lack of acceptance among the ] and his monetary ].<ref name="washpostmag"/> Journalist ] wrote that Amen's critics likened him "to a self-help guru rather than a scientist, on account of all the books, DVDs and nutritional supplements which he hawks so shamelessly on infomercials" and that Amen was "the most controversial psychiatrist in America may also be the most commercially successful."<ref name="Telegraph2013">{{cite news |url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/9836429/Dr-Daniel-Amen-interview-the-shrink-who-believes-technology-will-replace-the-couch.html |title= Dr Daniel Amen interview: The shrink who believes technology will replace the couch |last= Bhattacharya |first= Sanjiv |date= February 6, 2013 |newspaper= ] |accessdate= 2013-10-13}}</ref> Amen stated he felt the accolades went hand-in-hand and that "One reason why they hate me is because I make money. our biggest referral sources are our patients. If I'm defrauding them how would I stay in business for decades?"<ref name="Telegraph2013"/>


==Memberships and recognition== ==Memberships and recognition==
Amen is a Distinguished Fellow of the ].<ref name="washpostmag"/><ref>{{cite book |at= Brain Scan Babble p. |title= The Diseasing of America's Children: Exposing the ADHD Fiasco and Empowering Parents to Take Back Control |chapter= Ch. 3 Biology in Wonderland |first= John |last= Rosemond |authorlink= John Rosemond |publisher= ] |year= 2008 |isbn= 9781418569211}}</ref> He has also been an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior in the ], College of Medicine.<ref name="webmd.com"/> Amen is a Distinguished Fellow of the ].<ref name="washpostmag"/><ref>{{cite book |at= Brain Scan Babble p. |title= The Diseasing of America's Children: Exposing the ADHD Fiasco and Empowering Parents to Take Back Control |chapter= Ch. 3 Biology in Wonderland |first= John |last= Rosemond |authorlink= John Rosemond |publisher= ] |year= 2008 |isbn= 9781418569211}}</ref> He has also been an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior in the ], College of Medicine.<ref name="webmd.com"/>


Amen is the author of more than 30 books with combined sales of about one million copies.<ref name= "washpostmag"/><ref name="Telegraph2013"/> Five of his books have been ''New York Times'' bestsellers.<ref name= "Daily Beast"/> In 2015, Amen's ''The Daniel Plan'' received the Christian Book of the Year Award.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/05/05/place-holder/ | title=Rick Warren’s weight-loss plan named Christian Book of the Year | publisher=Washington Post | date=5 May 2015 | accessdate=30 June 2015 | author=Charles, Ron}}</ref> Amen is the author of more than 30 books with combined sales of about one million copies.<ref name= "washpostmag"/><ref name="Telegraph2013">{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/9836429/Dr-Daniel-Amen-interview-the-shrink-who-believes-technology-will-replace-the-couch.html|title=Dr Daniel Amen interview: The shrink who believes technology will replace the couch|last=Bhattacharya|first=Sanjiv|date=February 6, 2013|newspaper=]|accessdate=2013-10-13}}</ref> Five of his books have been ''New York Times'' bestsellers.<ref name= "Daily Beast"/> In 2015, Amen's ''The Daniel Plan'' received the Christian Book of the Year Award.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/05/05/place-holder/ | title=Rick Warren’s weight-loss plan named Christian Book of the Year | publisher=Washington Post | date=5 May 2015 | accessdate=30 June 2015 | author=Charles, Ron}}</ref>


==Selected publications== ==Selected publications==

Revision as of 20:30, 21 September 2016

Daniel Amen
BornDaniel Gregory Amen
1954 (age 69–70)
Encino, Los Angeles
NationalityAmerican
Alma materVanguard University of Southern California
Oral Roberts University School of Medicine (M.D., 1982), Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Tripler Army Medical Center.
Occupation(s)Psychiatrist, psychiatric researcher, medical researcher, author, lecturer, professor
Known forAmen's Classification
Websiteamenclinics.com

Daniel Gregory Amen (born 1954) is an American psychiatrist, a brain disorder specialist, director of the Amen Clinics, and a New York Times bestselling author.

Amen's clinics offer medical services to people who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other disorders. They use single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) as a purported diagnostic tool to identify what he says are sub-categories of these disorders, as devised by Amen.

Amen has done studies on brain injuries affecting professional athletes, and he is a post-concussion consultant for the National Football League.

Early life and education

Amen was born in Encino, California, in 1954 to Lebanese immigrant parents.

He received his undergraduate biology degree from Southern California College in 1978 and his doctorate from Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in 1982. Amen did his general psychiatric training at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and his child and adolescent psychiatry training at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. Amen fulfilled 200 hours of training to obtain his radioactive materials license from the Institute of Nuclear Medicine Education. He then carried out the required 1,000 hours of clinical supervision in reading scans. Amen is double board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Business activities

Amen is the chief executive officer and medical director of the six Amen Clinics.

SPECT scanning

Amen's practices use single-photon emission computed tomography, or SPECT, scans of brain activity in an attempt to compare the activity of a person's brain to a known healthy model. Amen prescribes both medication and non-medicative courses of treatment, depending on the case. He also performs before-and-after SPECT scans, which claim to assess how well treatment is working. Amen's clinics claim to have the world's largest database of functional brain scans for neuropsychiatry. As of 2009, Amen said he had scanned 50,000 people at an estimated cost of $170 million.

Work for athletes

One of Amen's clinics provides brain scans for current and former National Football League players. Amen made the initial diagnosis of brain damage in NFL kicker Tom Dempsey. During medical examinations and scans, Amen found three holes in Dempsey's brain, along with other damage. He has also provided diagnosis and therapy for hockey player Paul Kariya, related to his concussion issues; Amen advised Kariya to retire as a professional, which he did.

Writing and ideas

Amen's first book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, was published in 1999 and unexpectedly reached the New York Times best seller list after selling tens of thousands of copies in the first year. Publishers Weekly noted that the book "apparently struck a nerve with readers who love a 'scientific' hook."

In his book Making a Good Brain Great, he provided his analysis and recommendations for brain improvement purported to enhance a person's overall happiness and ability. For example, he suggested that hobbies which challenge the brain are important to ensuring a happy life, as he believes they force the brain to learn and evolve over time. Davi Thornton characterized the book as consisting of "commonplace recommendations for self-improvement."

In his book The Brain in Love, Amen described the brain activity that occurs during chanting meditation as similar to those which take place during the feeling of love and sexual activity.

In 2013 Amen co-authored a book, The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life, with pastor Rick Warren on "how to lead a healthy life". Amen was one of the people—the others included Mark Hyman and Mehmet Oz—that Warren recruited to help devise the program outlined in the book, called "The Daniel Plan". Warren encouraged adoption of the plan by all member churches in his network of Saddleback churches. According to Janice Norris, "The Daniel Plan is ... more than a diet. It is a lifestyle program based on Biblical principles and five essential components: food, fitness, focus, faith, and friends." Amen, Warren, and Hyman appeared on the television show The View to discuss the Daniel Plan and 3,000 people came to a rally at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California to hear the three talk about the plan.

In 2013 Amen released an updated version of his book Healing ADD from the Inside Out: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the Seven Types of Attention Deficit Disorder.

Television programs

Amen has produced television programs about his theories. One of them, "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," was aired by PBS affiliates 1,300 times in 2008 during fund-raising drives. Another, "Magnificent Mind at Any Age with Dr. Daniel Amen," was aired before January 1, 2009.

Dietary supplements

Amen's websites market vitamin supplements and a branded range of other dietary supplements. These supplements have been promoted for a number of health benefits, including a claimed ability to prevent or stop Alzheimer's disease.

Memberships and recognition

Amen is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has also been an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and human behavior in the University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine.

Amen is the author of more than 30 books with combined sales of about one million copies. Five of his books have been New York Times bestsellers. In 2015, Amen's The Daniel Plan received the Christian Book of the Year Award.

Selected publications

  • Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness (1999) ISBN 9780748114689
  • Healing Anxiety and Depression Amen and Lisa C. Routh (2004) ISBN 0425198448
  • Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance (2006) ISBN 9781400082094
  • The Brain in Love: 12 Lessons to Enhance Your Love Life (2009) ISBN 9780307587893
  • Magnificent Mind at Any Age: Natural Ways to Unleash Your Brain's Maximum Potential (2009) ISBN 9780307339102
  • Change Your Brain, Change Your Body: Use Your Brain to Get and Keep the Body You Have Always Wanted (2010) ISBN 9780748124046
  • The Amen Solution: The Brain Healthy Way to Get Thinner, Smarter, Happier (2011) ISBN 9780307463616
  • Unleash the Power of the Female Brain (2013) ISBN 9780307888945

References

Template:Research help

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  2. "Amen, Daniel Gregory, MD", ABPN verify CERT, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN).
  3. ^ Dykes, Brett Michael (January 27, 2013). "For former kicker, the price of fearlessness". The New York Times.
  4. Butcher, James (2008). "Neuropolitics gone mad". The Lancet Neurology. 7 (4): 295. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70056-5.
  5. ^ Shapiro, Eliza (December 14, 2012). "Can Daniel Amen read your mind?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  6. Farah, Martha J.; Gillihan, Seth J. (2013). "Ch. 11 Neuroimaging in Clinical Psychiatry". In Chatterjee, Anjan; Farah, Martha J. (eds.). Neuroethics in Practice. Oxford University Press. pp. 131–143. ISBN 9780195389784.
  7. ^ "All-Star Kariya ends career". Tampa Bay Times. June 29, 2011.
  8. "Newport Beach resident receives Vanguard honor". Daily Pilot. 2002-03-26.
  9. "Daniel Amen, MD". Doctor Finder. U.S. News & World Report.
  10. ^ "Biography: Daniel G. Amen, MD". WebMD.
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  12. Demos, John N. (2005). "Ch. 6 Brain Maps, Quantitative Electroencephalograph, and Normative Databases". Getting Started with Neurofeedback. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 98. ISBN 9780393075533.
  13. Chancellor, B.; Chatterjee, A. (2011). "Brain branding: When neuroscience and commerce collide". AJOB Neuroscience. 2 (4): 18. doi:10.1080/21507740.2011.611123. Amen Clinics, Inc., has scanned more than 50,000 patients at a cost close to $170 million.
  14. Williams, Joseph (February 19, 2007). "Give your head a rest: When it hurts, don't try to play through the pain. You could have a concussion. Tips for avoiding and recovering from a concussion". The Boston Globe.
  15. ^ Thornton, Davi Johnson (2011). "Practical Neuoscience and Brain-Based Self-Help". Brain Culture: Neuroscience and Popular Media. Rutgers University Press. pp. 64 et seq. ISBN 9780813550121.
  16. Quinn, Judy (March 1, 1999). "Get a 'Life'". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 245, no. 9.". . . "the book's stronger than expected out-of-the-gate success."
  17. Swanner, Rebecca (2010). Best You Ever: 365 Ways to be Richer, Happier, Thinner, Smarter, Younger, Sexier, and More Relaxed - Each and Every Day. Adams Media. p. 340. ISBN 9781440510717.
  18. Fisher, Maryanne; Bradford, Andrea (2010). "Ch. 14 Sex Inhibitors". The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Chemistry of Love. Penguin. Meditate for Better Sex. ISBN 9781101478035.
  19. Martin, Rachel (December 8, 2013). "Rick Warren writes a faith-based diet book". Weekend Edition. NPR News.
  20. Park, Madison (January 24, 2012). "Rick Warren and church tackle obesity". Health. CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  21. Piaza, Joe (March 27, 2012). "Church spreads the gospel of healthy eating". FoxNews.com. Fox News Channel. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
  22. Norris, Janice (January 7, 2014). "Health is wealth: Start a new lifestyle with the Daniel Plan". Stuttgart Daily Leader. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
  23. "Scoop: THE VIEW on ABC - Week of December 23, 2013". Broadway World. December 18, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. Macvean, Mary (June 16, 2014). "Cross training: Christians embrace Daniel Plan's Mind-Body-Spirit Diet". LA Times. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  25. Fresno County Public Library Staff (January 4, 2014). "Library Bookshelf: Desolation of Smaug guidebook available". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
  26. ^ Burton, Robert A. (May 12, 2008). "Brain scam: Why is PBS airing Dr. Daniel Amen's self-produced infomercial for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease?". Salon. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  27. Carroll, Robert Todd (January 1, 2009). "PBS Infomercial for Daniel Amen's Clinics". The Skeptic's Dictionary (Online ed.). Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  28. Rosemond, John (2008). "Ch. 3 Biology in Wonderland". The Diseasing of America's Children: Exposing the ADHD Fiasco and Empowering Parents to Take Back Control. Thomas Nelson. Brain Scan Babble p. 63. ISBN 9781418569211.
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  30. Charles, Ron (5 May 2015). "Rick Warren's weight-loss plan named Christian Book of the Year". Washington Post. Retrieved 30 June 2015.

Further reading

External links

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