Publications - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Beyond drugs, it's not clear which ADHD treatments work, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Jun 1 2018.

“Although many doctors offer patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) a variety of treatments in addition to drugs, a new review suggests there’s not enough evidence that medication alternatives work...Because ADHD can mean different symptoms from one kid to the next, children need an accurate and comprehensive diagnosis before it’s really possible to decide which treatments might work best in their situation, said Dr. Timothy Wilens, chief of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston...'For children over age 6 years, medications should be considered first line therapy for ADHD and nonpharmacological treatments should be considered adjunct to medication in specific groups,' Wilens added. ”

Scans Show Differences in Brains of Preschoolers With A.D.H.D., by Perri Klass, M.D., New York Times, Mar 26 2018.

“A new study that found significant differences in the brains of preschoolers with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may help parents understand that extremes of behavior can reflect differences in biological 'wiring.' Those who feel blamed — or blame themselves — for their small children’s behavioral issues will be likely to watch with interest as this long-term study progresses...Dr. Mahone, the director of the department of neuropsychology at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, and his colleagues did advanced brain scans on 90 4- and 5-year-old children. Of those, 52 had symptoms of A.D.H.D., and the other 38 were carefully matched controls, similar in age, gender, socioeconomic status, I.Q. and language function. The brains of the children with A.D.H.D. symptoms were significantly different than the brains of the control children, with 'really widespread changes,' Dr. Mahone said. ”

ADHD Meds May Improve Mood in Healthy Humans, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Mar 15 2018.

“New research finds that when healthy people take attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, the medication stimulates the release of a chemical in the brain associated with positive emotion. ADHD medications cause a surge in the neurotransmitter glutamate in key parts of the brain. Subsequently, this increase is associated with changes in positive emotion. ”

ADHD drug use in pregnancy increases risk of heart defects, study finds, by Susan Scutti, CNN, Dec 13 2017.

“The attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder drug methylphenidate is associated with an increased risk of heart defects in infants whose mothers take the medication during pregnancy, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Jama Psychiatry. Specifically, the researchers found a 28% increased prevalence of cardiac malformations after first-trimester exposure to the stimulant, which is the active ingredient in Ritalin, Concerta, Daytrana, Methylin and other ADHD medications. ”

Signs of ADHD can be different in girls, by Meadow Schroder, CNN, Nov 27 2017.

“ADHD can look different in girls than boys. A boy who is hyperactive might have trouble sitting in his seat in the classroom -- so he sits with one knee on the seat and one foot on the floor. It is likely, given his constant shifting and unequal balance on the seat, that the back legs of the chair will eventually lift up and the chair pitch forward causing the boy to fall to the floor. In contrast, a hyperactive girl may be out of her seat but have taken on the role of classroom helper, wandering around to different desks. A teacher completing a rating scale might rate the boy higher on hyperactive questions than the girl because the second example is not seen as disruptive. Thus, girls do not score as high as boys on these scales and are underrepresented because they do not meet criteria for a diagnosis. ”

New Study Casts Doubt on Diagnosis of Adult-Onset A.D.H.D., by Benedict Carey, New York Times, Oct 20 2017.

“In just the past few years, researchers have identified what they believe is an adult version of attention deficit disorder: a restless inability to concentrate that develops spontaneously after high school, years after the syndrome typically shows itself, and without any early signs...Yet a new study suggests that adult-onset A.D.H.D. is rare — if it exists at all...The new study, while smaller, mined more extensive medical histories than earlier work and found that most apparent cases of adult-onset attention deficits are likely the result of substance abuse or mood problems. ”

School Year Bias May Influence ADHD Diagnosis, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central, Oct 11 2017.

“Researchers have discovered that younger children in elementary schools are more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than their older peers within the same school year. The European study suggests that adults involved in raising concerns over a child’s behavior, such as parents and teachers, may be mistaking signs of relative immaturity as symptoms of the disorder...Investigators are concerned that adults may be benchmarking the development and abilities of younger children against their older peers in the same year group and inadvertently misinterpreting immaturity for more serious problems. ”

Can Mental Illness Be Prevented In The Womb?, by Bret Stetka , NPR, Oct 22 2016.

“Questions about whether ADHD might arise a few years down the road or whether schizophrenia could crop up in young adulthood tend to be overshadowed by more immediate parental anxieties. As a friend with a newborn daughter recently fretted over lunch, "I'm just trying not to drop her!"  Yet much as pediatricians administer childhood vaccines to guard against future infections, some psychiatrists now are thinking about how to shift their treatment-centric discipline toward one that also deals in early prevention. ”

Youngest kids in class have higher risk of ADHD diagnosis, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Mar 16 2016.

“Parents of children with birthdays right before the cutoff date for school enrollment often worry these kids will struggle academically and socially with being the youngest and smallest in class. Now, parents can add another concern to the list – higher odds that their child will be diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and put on medication. ”

A child with ADHD and a habit of lying doesn’t need to be punished. She needs compassion., by Meghan Leahy , The Washington Post, Feb 24 2016.

“In neurotypical children, lying appears in 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, and if the child is not punished for it, it will usually go away on its own. But having an ADHD child who is also intense changes everything. Your ADHD child is facing some challenges that are resulting in more misbehavior and more lying, and we can help her with this. By virtue of her brain feeling more (the intensity) and her impulse issues (ADHD), your daughter is going to walk into trouble over and over. Her prefrontal cortex (pretty immature in even the average 6-year-old) is overloaded with sensory information. Before her brain can even sort through consequences, empathy and compassion, her body has acted. The train has left the station. ”

Can't Focus? It Might Be Undiagnosed Adult ADHD, by Patti Neighmond, NPR, Jan 19 2016.

“The disorder occurs as the brain is developing, and symptoms generally appear around age 7. But symptoms can last a lifetime. For adults, the problem is not disruptive behavior or keeping up in school. It's an inability to focus, which can mean inconsistency, being late to meetings or just having problems managing day-to-day tasks. ”

More than one in 10 U.S. kids have ADHD as diagnosis rates surge, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Dec 8 2015.

“More than 10 percent of U.S. children have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), reflecting a surge in recent years particularly among girls and minority groups, a new study finds. Spikes in diagnoses among girls, Hispanics and older kids may be the result of better screening and monitoring among previously under diagnosed groups, experts say. Roughly 5.8 million children aged five to 17 years are now diagnosed with ADHD, which is characterized by social and behavioral problems as well as challenges in school, according to the analysis of cases reported by parents from 2003 to 2011. ”

ADHD meds may be a prescription for bullying, by University of Michigan, ScienceDaily, Nov 20 2015.

“Kids and teens who take medications like Ritalin to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are twice as likely to be physically or emotionally bullied by peers than those who don't have ADHD, a new University of Michigan study found. At even higher risk were middle and high school students who sold or shared their medications--those kids were four-and-a-half times likelier to be victimized by peers than kids without ADHD. ”

Kids with ADHD must squirm to learn, study says, by University of Central Florida, ScienceDaily, Apr 17 2015.

“For decades, frustrated parents and teachers have barked at fidgety children with ADHD to "Sit still and concentrate!" But new research conducted at UCF shows that if you want ADHD kids to learn, you have to let them squirm. The foot-tapping, leg-swinging and chair-scooting movements of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are actually vital to how they remember information and work out complex cognitive tasks, according to a study published in an early online release of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. ”

Adult ADHD: The Complete Guide to Living with, Understanding, Improving, and Managing ADHD or ADD as an Adult!, by Ben Hardy, 2015.