Tag Archives: ADHD

Bipolar Disorder and ADHD: Similarities and Differences in Teens and Children

When someone tells a parent there’s a possibility their child suffers from a type of mental health concern, it can stir up many feelings. The most common mental health concern in children of late has been attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, diagnoses of ADHD can occur when some teens and children should have been diagnosed […]

Tylenol in Pregnancy Tied to Higher ADHD Risk in Kids

Startling new findings have thrown into question whether decades of pregnant women taking acetaminophen products such as Tylenol for lower back pain and headaches has led to their children being diagnosed with ADHD. Kids whose mothers took acetaminophen while pregnant were more likely to develop attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a long-term study by UCLA researchers has […]

ADHD Medication Saves Lives on the Road, Study Finds

A new study of 17,000 Swedish residents with ADHD found a startlingly lower serious accident rate when male drivers were on their medication versus when they were not. The study found there was no such connection for female drivers. A UCLA researcher who studies attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder noted Friday that the findings, while important, can’t yet […]

How Do Substance Use Disorder and Conduct Disorder Affect the Teen Brain?

Substance use disorder and conduct disorder are two mental health conditions defined in the U.S. according to terms set forth by the American Psychiatric Association. Many people affected by conduct disorder engage in patterns of drug or alcohol intake that put them at risk for developing substance use disorder. Practically speaking, this means that the […]

ADHD Drug Abuse Can Have Deadly Consequences

ADHD, which stands for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, is not uncommon in children in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5.2 million children have been diagnosed with the disorder. Twelve percent of boys and close to 5 percent of girls  in the U.S. are diagnosed with ADHD.

Inner-Ear Disorders May Cause Hyperactivity

Inner-ear disorders are physical conditions that alter normal function in the innermost structures of the ear, which play an essential role in the ability to hear or maintain a sense of balance. Current evidence indicates that children diagnosed with behavioral problems develop serious inner-ear problems more often than their peers unaffected by behavioral problems. In […]

Teen ADHD, Texting a Deadly Combination

There is no way to sugarcoat it: the practice of texting while driving is a public menace that is endangering the lives of all who traverse the highways and byways of America. Driving a car and punching out a text message on a cell phone are two activities that were never meant to be mixed, […]

Should Your ADHD Child Eat More Omega-3s?

Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle on a daily basis to focus, to get things done, and to behave appropriately. If you are the parent of a child with this disorder, you know the challenges it presents. Medicating ADHD kids has long been the prevalent treatment choice, but there have also been plenty of […]

Adult ADHD Linked to Severe Eating Disorders

Adult ADHD is the general term for cases of the childhood condition attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that continue to produce significant symptoms in adulthood. Modern studies indicate that 30 percent to 60 percent of children with ADHD also experience the adult form of the disorder. According to the results of a new study published in July […]

Teens Are Faking ADHD Symptoms to Get Adderall

When a medication is effective, we give thanks. Drugs that can alleviate problem symptoms help patients live normal lives and restore a positive and hopeful outlook that brings many other desired outcomes. But when good medications are misused, everyone suffers. Patients are greeted with more skepticism and eventually medications become harder to obtain.  Doctors are […]

Five Mental Disorders Are ‘Linked’ Through Our Genes

Researchers are constantly seeking clues that may unlock the mysteries of mental illness. A recent discovery about a genetic link between five major disorders has great potential for helping professionals find better ways to treat and diagnose mental illness. Scientists found genetic links between the following disorders: attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia. […]

Important Distinctions Between OCD and ADHD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two well-known conditions that can significantly alter normal mental function in affected individuals. While the two conditions are distinct, they can produce symptoms that strongly resemble each other in a variety of ways. For this reason, doctors sometimes mistake OCD for ADHD—or vice versa—when making their […]

Most Children With ADHD Face Mental Health Woes as Adults, Study Finds

New research has determined that ADHD, a developmental disorder most associated with childhood, is a problem for adults as well. A new study, the largest to date into the effects of ADHD over the long term, has found that a significant number of children with ADHD still suffer from it in adulthood. The authors of […]

Teens With ADHD at Risk of Substance Abuse

ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a fairly common condition characterized by varying degrees of hyperactivity, lack of impulse control and an inability to maintain focus or attention. The disorder typically arises in childhood and may or may not continue into adolescence or adulthood. In early 2013, a multi-university research team released the results of a […]

Is Adderall the New Xanax? Why So Much Buzz About Adderall?

Eighty-eight percent of the world’s legal amphetamine supply is produced in US, and over-worked college students, celebrities, and sports stars seem to be taking to the drug with increasing regularity. It doesn’t seem like too long ago that Xanax was the nation’s drug of choice, but it looks like a new prescription drug has entered […]

Is Ritalin a Gateway Drug?

The discussion of gateway drugs is a popular topic for some people who are working to combat worldwide drug problems. The question of how and why certain people begin to use drugs is crucial to reducing drug abuse around the globe, and the gateway drug hypothesis is one possible explanation. The idea behind the gateway […]

Understanding the Impact of Diet on ADHD

You’ve read the news stories, watched the talk shows, and explored all the relevant blogs you and find. Now you need the facts: Does diet play a role in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? If so, how much direct impact does it have?

Caring for an ADHD Child – Tips for Parents

Overwhelmed. Frustrated. Tired. Ask any parent who has a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder about his or her own life, and those are often the first descriptive words you’ll hear. That doesn’t mean it’s all bad; but parenting a child with a mental health condition is, without question, far more challenging than parenting healthy kids. […]

Women and ADHD Medication

A mental health disorder that has been given much attention in childhood is beginning to be noted in adulthood as well. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD as it is most commonly called, is a condition which affects three to five percent of American children. However, increasingly the disorder is being recognized in adults and […]

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Improves Treatment for Adults with ADHD

Managing ADHD during adulthood can be an incredible challenge. Although medications for treating ADHD are very effective and considered the first step of treatment, researchers have found that the combination of cognitive behavioral therapy drastically improves symptoms and quality of life. In their new study, researchers aim to substantiate the use of cognitive behavioral therapy […]

Ritalin Enhances Speed of Learning by Boosting Dopamine Levels

Doctors treat millions of children with Ritalin every year to improve their ability to focus on tasks, but scientists now report that Ritalin also directly enhances the speed of learning. In animal research, scientists showed for the first time that Ritalin boosts both of these cognitive abilities by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine […]

Alterations in Brain’s Reward System Related to ADHD

Until now, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was related to alterations in the brain affecting attention and cognitive processes. Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital have now discovered anomalies in the brain’s reward system related to the neural circuits of motivation and gratification.