Dr. Thomas James Catalanotto, MD

My journey with my daughter started several years ago with Dr. C. She was 3 years old and I was having problems with behavior and high energy. Upon examination, Dr. C. stated that she had a mood disorder and sent me to a psychiatrist buddy of his for an eval. The psychiatrist came back with Attachment Disorder after watching her play for 10 minutes and asking me some general questions about her moods. This is a disorder usually given to those who are abused or neglected intensely. If anything, my daughter was overly loved and given way too much attention. I was not happy with this diagnosis, so I began reading books about mood disorders and ADHD on my own. When discussing a book on ADHD with Dr. C., I pointed out that my daughter was a mirror to the symptoms in the book. He told me that I was doing too much research and, because of this, most likely causing the issues in my daughter by increasing her anxiety level. My daughter was 3, she had no idea what I was reading or… researching and took little interest in it. After pulling my daughter's file from their office, after that visit, and finding another doctor, it turns out that my daughter does not have Attachment Disorder, a mood disorder, or bipolar (another diagnosis flung at us), but ADHD and a severe sensitivity to artificial food colorings and flavorings. The level of care seemed to be lessened with the intent on getting a friend more clients; the level of compassion and understanding did not exist that was needed in such case, and don't even think of doing your own research or contradicting the doctor on your own accord. He seems to like being questioned on his knowledge or on his guessing what is wrong.