The Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 11 percent of children (ages 4-17) have been diagnosed with ADHD and about 6 percent are taking medication for the disorder. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates about 4 percent of adults have ADHD. With so many people in the U.S. being treated for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder … Continue reading Side effects to watch for with ADHD medication
A link I’ve long suspected has now been confirmed by scientists: Children who come from homes with troubling conditions are more likely to have ADHD than their peers from non-troubled homes. The parent survey analysis showed ADHD has the strongest connection with economic hardship, divorce, familial mental illness, neighborhood violence, and familial incarceration. More severe cases … Continue reading Family stressors tied to ADHD
People with psychiatric disorders look for escape from their symptoms in various places. A common one for young men is playing video games. That escape isn’t always healthy: It can turn into an addiction. A new study looking into video game addiction showed young men with ADHD, OCD, and depression are especially at risk. They … Continue reading Young men with ADHD: Watch out for video game addiction
I read an interesting study this week that showed a link between parental criticism and persistent ADHD. It’s common for ADHD symptoms to decrease as children get older. That’s not true for all cases, though, and an important question for those developing treatment strategies and medications for ADHD is: What’s the difference? This study identifies one … Continue reading Critical parenting tied to persistent ADHD
There’s an exciting new development in our understanding of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. A new study shows looking at the brain’s wiring can predict how well a person can keep their attention focused. That finding is important because it shows that ADHD is more than a behavioral problem; it’s a measurable difference in … Continue reading Using brain scans to predict ADHD
What is ADHD? ADHD is a term that’s thrown around so frequently these days, we all assume we know what it means. Used to apply to everyone from a kid who misbehaves in school to an adult who has trouble focusing on a single TV or computer screen at a time, ADHD is actually a … Continue reading Basic things to know about ADHD
Most of us probably know someone who has issues with hoarding, whether it be our great aunt who saves newspapers and cannot throw any away because she plans on one day reading them all, or a neighbor who has 25 old cars on his property that haven’t been touched in years. Hoarding can often be … Continue reading Hoarding Disorder: A subtype of OCD or ADHD?
There is a perception that ADHD is an over diagnosed condition in children. There have been studies over the years that have challenged that perception, even suggesting that ADHD is under diagnosed. At least one study that I know of reports that 75 % of the prison population meets criteria of ADHD. I would venture … Continue reading Differentiating Bipolar Disorder from ADHD in children
I am a big fan of Dr. Amen. I find his neuroimaging work to be highly fascinating. Not everyone agrees and some question his science. You may have seen some of his programs on the brain on PBS over the last few years. I have been using Dr. Amen’s mental health questionnaires on my patients for … Continue reading ADHD and Dr. Amen Contributions
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy improves ADHD Scores This month a very interesting research study was recorded in the journal of JAMA. It addresses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as an ADHD treatment Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, also known as CBT, is most successfully used in conjuction with medication in my opinion, but often the medication does not offer complete … Continue reading Cognitive Behavioral Therapy improves ADHD Scores