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NEWS ABOUT: ADHD

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Bad News for Lefties: You Have More Health Risks

Left-handed people more likely to develop neural disorders

(Newser) - About 10% of the population is left-handed, but a disproportionate amount of people with schizophrenia—20%—are lefties. Schizophrenia is just one of a number of psychiatric and developmental disorders that are more common in left-handed people, including dyslexia, ADHD, language difficulties, and mood disorders. Researchers think this could have... More »

For My Hyper 7-Year-Old: Coffee

Like Ritalin with fewer side effects, writes Christie Haskell

(Newser) - What do you do when your kid can’t sit still—but you’re concerned about the side effects of Ritalin? One mom offers an unusual remedy that goes against standard medical advice: Give the youngster coffee, she writes at the Stir blog at Cafe Mom . Christie Haskell didn’t... More »

Secondhand Smoke Boosts Kids' ADHD Risk

Study says 274K cases of learning and conduct disorders could be prevented

(Newser) - Here's an idea for a cigarette warning label: Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home are 50% more likely to develop mental and behavioral disorders like ADHD, according to a new study. Researchers can't prove that secondhand smoke causes the disorders, but say that if it does, 274,... More »

ADHD: Blame Genes, Not Parenting

Study shows a genetic link for the first time

(Newser) - The next time the kid at the table next to you at dinner won’t stop banging his spoon on the table, pause before inwardly berating his parents. He may have ADHD —and a new study shows that, contrary to popular belief, the disorder is not caused by bad... More »

Today's Tom Sawyer Would Be Medicated

He and Huck would be diagnosed with all kinds of disorders

(Newser) - Reread Huckleberry Finn today, and just try to keep track of the disorders Huck and Tom Sawyer would be diagnosed with as kids today: oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder right off the bat, writes Anne Applebaum in the Washington Post . It's "weirdly reassuring,"... More »

Pesticides Linked to ADHD

Parents should buy organic or wash food well

(Newser) - ADHD diagnoses rose a staggering 3% a year in the US between 1997 and 2006, and a new study suggests that pesticides may be part of the reason why. Researchers analyzed more than 1,100 kids ages 8 to 15 and discovered that those with detectable, above-average levels of toxic... More »

Teen ADHD Drug Abusers Suffer Serious Side Effects

(AP) - Calls to poison control centers about teens abusing attention-deficit drugs soared 76% over eight years, a new study shows, highlighting the dangerous consequences of prescription abuse. The calls were from worried parents, emergency room doctors, and others seeking advice on how to deal with side-effects of ADHD drugs, which can... More »

ADHD Drugs Linked to Teen Sudden Death

Children, teens who died suddenly likelier to have been on meds that those killed in car crashes

(Newser) - A new study suggests that taking ADHD drugs like Ritalin puts young people at a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, WebMd reports. Children in the study who died suddenly and inexplicably were six to seven times likelier to have been taking ADHD medication containing stimulants. More »

Drug Trials a Lot Like Reality TV

(Newser) - Only one couple from The Bachelor has actually gotten married. No Apprentice winner has become fabulously wealthy. American Idol produced Taylor Hicks. Reality shows don’t always make good on their real-world promises, and in that way, they’re a lot like clinical drug trials, writes pediatrician Darshak Sanghavi in... More »

ADHD Signs Tied to Lack of Sleep

Kids getting less than 8 hours show most hyperactivity

(Newser) - Kids who get enough sleep may be less likely to show signs of ADHD or other behavioral issues, the BBC reports. A Finnish study of 280 healthy kids aged 7 and 8 found that those who slept less than 8 hours were most hyperactive. Researchers say a third of US... More »

MLB Players Still Popping Pills for ADHD

(Newser) - Major Leaguers are still taking amphetamines for attention deficit disorder despite new rules designed under pressure from Congress, the New York Times reports. In fact, such exemptions grew slightly last season until nearly 8% of players were on ADHD drugs, the AP reports. "This is incredible," said... More »

Pre-Drug Heart Checks Urged for ADHD Kids

Ritalin and other stimulants carry slight risk of cardiac trouble

(Newser) - Children with ADHD should have their hearts checked for abnormalities before starting treatment with Ritalin or other stimulants, the American Heart Association warns. Serious heart problems have occurred in only a small fraction of the millions of children being treated for ADHD, but the group's experts say it's enough for... More »

Aging Baby Boomers Spur Brain Fitness Industry

Software sales have more than doubled as Boomers look to avoid Alzheimer's

(Newser) - Aging baby boomers, looking for answers on how to avoid—or at least forestall—dementia and Alzheimer’s, are driving the growth of a new industry that uses computer software to help maintain brain fitness, reports Reuters. Sales in the brain stimulation software industry have more than doubled since 2005... More »

Parents See Kids' Disorders in Themselves

A child's illness can explain family quirks, reveal long-held secrets

(Newser) - Parents whose kids have psychiatric disorders will often seek, and find, signs of the same illness in themselves, the New York Times reports. Some ailments do run in the family—depression and bipolar disorder, for example—but parents at times dig up symptoms to show solidarity with kids and lessen... More »

'Top Model' Draws Focus to Asperger's

Reality TV contestant with disorder becomes a viewer favorite

(Newser) - Although she has been eliminated from "America's Top Model," contestant Heather Kuzmich, a consistent viewer favorite, continues to bring attention to Asperger's syndrome. Kuzmich, who has the neurological disorder, says she hopes to keep modeling and become a spokesperson for others with the condition, the New York Times... More »

Diagnosis Helps Parents Look Beyond ADHD

Disorder, known for 3 decades, affects kids' sensitivity to stimuli

(Newser) - Some kids whose behavioral difficulties don't quite match up with symptoms of ADHD or autism may warrant a different diagnosis: sensory processing disorder. Most doctors aren't familiar with the term because it isn't in psychiatric manuals, but occupational therapists have been treating the disorder since the '70s. Still, reports Time,... More »

Unruly Kids Don't Do Worse in School

Studies show many youngsters grow out of behavior problems

(Newser) - In what will surely be balm to desperate parents—and an annoyance to school administrators—the New York Times pairs two new studies that find kids with early behavior problems may be more likely to grow out of them than is commonly thought. In one, researchers looked at over 16,... More »

Brains of ADHD Kids Mature Later: Study

Cortex controlling action and attention lags three years behind

(Newser) - The brains of hyperactive children appear to develop more slowly than those of their peers,  researchers have discovered, with the cortex—the area that affects attention and action— maturing 3 years later than in other children. The finding accounts for the fact that many kids with ADHD grow out... More »

2 Studies Tie Dopamine to ADHD

Low level of brain chemical connected to substance abuse, too

(Newser) - Levels of dopamine—a brain chemical associated with movement and emotion—may explain the occurrence of attention deficit and hyperactivity, two studies published yesterday concluded. The studies found decreased dopamine activity in the brains of individuals, both children and adults, diagnosed with ADHD. Doctors say these decreased levels could have... More »

Students Brew Coffee Addiction

Docs abuzz over teens’ growing use and abuse of stimulants

(Newser) - Overworked kids are hopping up more and more on lattes and macchiatos, as well as even dodgier stimulants, according to U.S. News. Coffee consumption among 18- to 24-year-olds  has nearly doubled in three years, while increasingly popular energy drinks like Red Bull and the shockingly christened Cocaine pack multiple... More »

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