ADD/ADHD News

Fetal acetaminophen exposure may increase a child’s risk for ADHD and autism spectrum disorder, according to results of a prospective cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Current research is lacking to support claims that cannabinoids improve depressive disorders and symptoms, anxiety disorders or ADHD, according to results of a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Lancet Psychiatry.

Patients with autism spectrum disorder and co-occurring ADHD can safely and effectively take medication for ADHD, according to a study conducted in the Netherlands and published in Journal of Attention Disorders.

Boys who exhibit inattention, hyperactivity and externalizing problems are at an increased risk for traumatic brain injury, or TBI, and evidence-based treatments to reduce these behaviors may decrease the risk for TBIs to age 34, according to a prospective cohort study published in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Further, researchers reported that childhood TBIs were associated with an increased risk for adolescent TBIs.

Between 2009 and 2017, approximately one in six children aged 3 to 17 years in the United States had a diagnosed developmental disability, according to updated prevalence estimates published in Pediatrics. Researchers noted increases specifically in the prevalence of ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability.

Tim Wilens, MD, chief of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, spoke about the “exciting area” of recent findings on ADHD across patient lifespan in a video interview.

SAN DIEGO — In a session here, Marlene P. Freeman, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and associate director of the Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, discussed the risks and benefits of different pharmacologic treatment options for women of reproductive age with mental illnesses.

Women and girls with ADHD are significantly more likely to give birth as teenagers than those without ADHD, according to a nationwide cohort study conducted in Sweden and published in JAMA Network Open.

The AAP has updated its clinical practice ADHD guideline for the first time since 2011. The recommendations focus predominantly on evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of children aged 4 to 18 years.

Researchers identified metabolic signatures in baby teeth that were unique to ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and both neurodevelopment conditions, according to a study published in Translational Psychiatry.