ADD/ADHD News

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.

Patients who take medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder faced no increased cardiovascular risks, according to a retrospective population-based cohort study.

Cognitive behavioral therapy improved symptoms in adults being treated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Combined treatment with guanfacine extended-release and a psychostimulant appears to be effective in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who have had a suboptimal response to psychostimulant monotherapy.

The FDA has approved once-daily guanfacine as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years.

When used in conjunction with psychostimulants, the selective alpha-2A-agonist guanfacine extended release (GXR) may offer a safe and effective alternative for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who do not respond well to psychostimulant therapy alone, according to data presented at the 2010 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

Parents were more likely than physicians to perceive oppositional symptoms in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and more likely to consider these symptoms problematic, according to a poster presentation at the 2010 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate was found to be safe and effective for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in adolescents aged 13 to 17 years, according to data presented at the 2010 American Psychiatry Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

Children with higher urinary concentrations of dimethyl thiophospate, a marker indicative of pesticide exposure, were twice as likely to have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, according to recent study results.

The CDC and National Institute of Mental Health have previously reported that the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents has increased over the past several decades. The likely continued increase in diagnoses has led physicians and researchers to analyze the risks and benefits associated with current treatment options.