ADD/ADHD News

Adults made considerably more medical visits that included a prescription of antipsychotics than adolescents and children, but antipsychotic treatment has increased rapidly among young people, according to study results.

Children raised in institutions exhibited elevated symptoms of anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression and disruptive behavior compared with controls, according to a recently published study.

Children who started attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder medication later were more likely to have declining test scores, according to a study published online.

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges and pay $3 billion in fines in the largest health care fraud settlement in US history, according to the Department of Justice.

Individual disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, epilepsy and cerebral palsy have been found to overlap in children, especially boys, according to study results.

There is no universally accepted framework for diagnosing children who present with sensory-based problems, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The FDA issued a warning this week about a counterfeit version of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ Adderall 30 mg tablets being sold on the Internet. Adderall is currently included on the FDA’s drug shortage list because of pharmaceutical ingredient supply issues. Teva continues to release product as it becomes available, according to the FDA.

Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate was found to reduce symptoms of pain and fatigue and improve executive functioning, according to new study results presented here at the 2012 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said successful legislation, federal programs and financial support from grants have helped raise awareness about the importance of mental health and greatly benefited those with mental health disorders. In 2011, 45.9 million American adults were diagnosed with a mental illness, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Younger children in the same grade with peers that may be almost 1 year older are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This may lead to overdiagnosis and overprescribing of medications among these children, according to researchers.