ADD/ADHD News

Maternal anemia in early pregnancy appeared to be linked to greater risk for autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and intellectual disability among offspring, findings published in JAMA Psychiatry revealed.

Prenatal exposure to acetaminophen was linked to an increased risk for ADHD in offspring, according to a nationwide study in Taiwan published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Individuals whose childhood ADHD persists into adulthood appear to be at increased risk for motor vehicle crashes, according to data published in Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Offspring born via cesarean delivery were at increased risk for autism spectrum disorder and ADHD compared with those born by vaginal delivery, findings published in JAMA Network Open revealed.

Methylphenidate — a drug used to treat ADHD — may affect specific tracts in brain white matter in boys with the disorder, according to findings from a randomized control trial conducted in the Netherlands. The results published in Radiology suggest that the effects are age dependent.

Researchers found overlap between ADHD and hypomanic symptoms across childhood and adolescence, which appears to reflect a genetic link between these phenotypes, according to findings from a Swedish twin cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Longitudinal data revealed that individuals with ADHD were at higher risk for all-cause and cause-specific premature death, which may increase depending on the number of psychiatric comorbidities.

Approximately half of youth who received antipsychotics during the year after an ADHD diagnosis had a diagnosis for which antipsychotics are indicated, and less than half of these youth received a stimulant — the evidence-supported first-line ADHD treatment, study data revealed.

Treatment with stimulant medications in children with ADHD was linked to a lower risk for functional complications mood, conduct and substance use disorders, and school problems, study findings published in Journal of Adolescent Health revealed.

Results from a large population-based cohort study in Sweden showed no evidence that initiation of methylphenidate treatment increased the risk for psychotic events among teenagers and young adults, including among those with a history of psychosis.