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Information about ADHD

ADHD: Behavioral Incentives Mimic Effects Of Medication On Brain Systems

In a study published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers from the University of Nottingham show that medication has the most significant effect on brain function in children with ADHD, but this effect can be boosted by complementary use of rewards and incentives, which appear to mimic the effects of medication on brain systems. (April 20, 2010)

ADHD Symptoms May Decline From One Grade to Next, Study Finds

Many elementary-aged children with clinically elevated attention problems in one grade no longer demonstrate these problems the following year in their new classroom, according to a study led by researchers at Duke University. (March 22, 2010)

Brain Development And Toxic Chemicals

The Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI) released the first-ever biomonitoring report identifying toxic chemical pollution in people from the learning and developmental disability community. (February 5, 2010)

Disconnect Between Brain Regions In ADHD

Two brain areas fail to connect when children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder attempt a task that measures attention, according to researchers at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and M.I.N.D. Institute. (January 12, 2010)

More American Children Seeking Treatment for ADHD

More than half of U.S. children and adolescents with mental disorders — especially those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — are receiving treatment from professionals, according to a new study from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (December 4, 2009)

Exposure To Tobacco And Lead Linked To ADHD In Children

Researchers in the US found that exposure to tobacco in the womb and to lead during childhood was linked to a particularly high risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. (November 24, 2009)

First-Ever Drug Effectiveness Study On College Students With ADHD

Researchers at the University of Rhode Island and Lehigh University are about to launch a study to test the effectiveness of a stimulant medication on college students with ADHD. (September 25, 2009)

ADHD Tied to Brain’s Reward Pathway

A problem in the brain’s reward center may be behind symptoms like inattention associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (September 22, 2009)

More Kids Using ADHD Drugs To Get High

There has been a significant increase in the use of prescription stimulants to treat ADHD. The most frequently prescribed ADHD medications include mixed amphetamine salts and methylphenidate. (August 25, 2009)

Has ADHD Always Been A Disorder?

A Canadian researcher working in the U.K. says doctors, authors and educators are doing hyperactive children a disservice by claiming that hyperactivity as we understand it today has always existed. (July 9, 2009)

FDA Responds to Study on the Potential Risks of Stimulant Medications for Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing its perspective on data published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry on the potential risks of stimulant medications used to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children. (June 15, 2009)

Greater Risk Of Learning/Attention Problems In Hypertensive Children

Children who have high blood pressure are more likely to have learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than children who are not hypertensive. (May 5, 2009)

Inconsistent Short Term Memory Linked To ADHD

Researchers in the US found that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) showed more inconsistent reaction times when doing short term memory exercises compared to peers of the same age who did not have the disorder. (March 27, 2009)

Hyperactivity Enables Children With ADHD To Stay Alert

A new University of Central Florida study may explain why children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder move around a lot – it helps them stay alert enough to complete challenging tasks. (March 10, 2009)

ADHD Diagnosis And Treatment Require Grappling With “Zone Of Ambiguity” And Incomplete Facts

Significant variations in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD stem at least in part from a “zone of ambiguity”–different interpretations of what is normal behavior and what level of impairment is required for a psychiatric diagnosis, one of the conclusions of a new report by Hastings Center scholars published online in the current issue of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. (January 22, 2009)

Child’s ADHD Diagnosis Is Tied To Mother’s Health Status

The probability of having one’s child receive an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis involves a mother’s own medical conditions and her use of health services prior to having the child, a new study finds. (December 31, 2008)

Ability To Quit Smoking May Depend On A.D.H.D. Symptoms

Tobacco use is more prevalent and smoking cessation less likely among persons with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (A.D.H.D.) (November 22, 2008)

ADHD Appears To Affect Movement In Boys More Than Girls, New Study

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appears to affect movement in boys more than it does in girls, according to a study published in the November 4, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. (November 4, 2008)

Research Shows A Walk In The Park Improves Attention In Children With ADHD

A study conducted at the University of Illinois shows that children with ADHD demonstrate greater attention after a 20-minute walk in a park than after a similar walk in a downtown area or a residential neighborhood. (October 16, 2008)

ADHD Stimulant Treatment May Decrease Risk Of Substance Abuse In Adolescent Girls

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have found that treatment with stimulant drugs does not increase and appears to significantly decrease the risk that girls with ADHD will begin smoking cigarettes or using alcohol or drugs. (October 7, 2008)

UK Study Finds Teachers Lack ADHD Management Skills

A new UK study finds that two-thirds of primary school teachers struggle to understand and manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behavior because of a lack of training. (September 17, 2008)

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) Community Comes Together For First Ever Virtual Conference

Twenty-two of the most celebrated doctors, therapists, and coaches in the field of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) are coming together for the first time in a virtual setting. (August 29, 2008)

CDC: ADHD Increasing in Older Kids

More older children are being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder while the rate is holding steady for children under 12, according to a government report. (July 23, 2008)

ADHD Might Raise Kids’ Obesity Risk

Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at a 50 percent higher risk for being overweight if they are not taking medication for the condition, a new study finds. (July 7, 2008)

Weighing Nondrug Options for A.D.H.D.

About 2.5 million children in the United States take stimulant drugs for attention and hyperactivity problems. But concerns about side effects have prompted many parents to look elsewhere: as many as two-thirds of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D., have used some form of alternative treatment. (June 17, 2008)

AAP And American Heart Association Clarify Statement On ADHD And Electrocardiograms

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association have released a new statement on management of children and adolescents with attention deficit disorder. (May 26, 2008)

Stress May Lead Students To Use Stimulants

A growing number of high school and college students are turning to stimulants like ADHD drugs and energy drinks to help them through their stress — particularly during exam time. (April 11, 2008)

Cognition-enhancing drugs common among academics

A survey of individuals who read the journal Nature, a technical bioscience publication, reveals that roughly one in five use prescription drugs to improve their focus, concentration, or memory. (Apr 9, 2008)

ADHD Treatment For Children Different Between Specialties, Australia

Standardization of diagnosis and treatment of ADHD is needed to ensure consistency between treatment by psychiatrists and paediatricians, according to a study in the latest Medical Journal of Australia. (March 16, 2008)

Attention Deficits That May Linger Well Past Childhood

A recent groundbreaking brain-imaging study found that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder experience a development delay with a distinct biological basis. (March 12, 2008)

ADHD Drugs Won’t Raise Risk of Substance Abuse

Parents of children who are prescribed psychostimulants for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might have one less thing to worry about now that a new study concludes these kids are no more likely than their peers to abuse drugs and alcohol as young adults. (March 1, 2008)

Baseball’s Other Drug Problem: Are players using an ADD diagnosis to evade the amphetamine ban?

As Major League Baseball begins to dig out from its steroids scandal, new kinds of performance-enhancing substances are sweeping big-league clubhouses: Ritalin, Adderall and other drugs designed to help with Attention-Deficit Disorder. (Feb 6, 2008)

The Significant Impact of Adult ADHD On Social, Financial And Personal Aspects Of Life

Two studies look at educational and occupational functioning; drug use and anti-social behaviors; health, lifestyle, money management and driving; sex, dating, marriage, parenting and psychosocial adjustment of offspring; and neurological functioning of adults with ADHD. (December 18, 2007)

Ritalin Abuse Poses Risk During College Exam Week

Undergraduates, as well as high school SAT-takers, are increasingly turning to prescription stimulants to boost concentration during long study sessions and all-nighters, according to drug abuse experts at the University of Florida, who cite a rise in the number of teen patients they see who openly admit to having conned unnecessary prescriptions from doctors. (May 13, 2007)