Books and Articles — Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Ritalin Gone Wrong, by L. Alan Sroufe. New York Times, January 28, 2012.

ADHD Diagnosis Now Possible for Kids As Young As 4, by David McCracken. Psych Central, October 17, 2011.  “New guidelines for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest the condition can now be diagnosed in children as young as 4 years old and recommend behavioral treatments, not drugs, for the youngest kids with the disorder.”

Stimulant Abuse Puts Students In Harm's Way, by Rick Nauert. Psych Central, September 07, 2011.  “College students use stimulants to enhance their alertness, theoretically improving study sessions and improving academic performance. But the perceived benefits are questionable.”

ADHD Diagnosis up 29% in Children, Teens, by John Grohol. Psych Central, August 18, 2011.  “Researchers from the CDC have found that an average of 9 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 were diagnosed with ADHD between 2007 and 2009. This is a 29 percent increase over the rate of 7 percent the researchers found for ADHD diagnoses in a similar three year period from 1998 to 2000 in teens and children.”

Support Program Helps Caregivers of Mentally Ill Cope, by Traci Pedersen. Psych Central, June 28, 2011.  “Caring for a family member with mental illness can take its toll, but a widely available education and support program for relatives of the mentally ill called Family-to-Family (FTF) can significantly improve a family's coping ability.”

Children's Mental Health, by APA. American Psychological Assosciation, June 19, 2011.  “Contrary to popular belief, infants and toddlers can suffer serious mental health disorders. Yet, because of the pervasive but mistaken impression that this can't happen, many very young children with mental health disorders don't get the help they need.”

Substance Abuse Risk Greater for Girls with ADHD Than Boys, by Rick Nauert. Psych Central, June 13, 2011.  “In a new study of adolescents, Finnish investigators discovered attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms were more common in boys, but girls with ADHD were more vulnerable to substance abuse.”

Faking It: Why Nearly 1 in 4 Adults Who Seek Treatment Don't Have ADHD, by Meredith Melnick. Time Magazine, April 28, 2011.  “A new survey of patients' medical records finds that nearly a quarter of adults who seek treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may be exaggerating or faking their symptoms. Why would someone fake a psychological disorder? In a word, Adderall.”

Not Enough Sleep Disruptive for ADHD Kids, by Rick Nauert. Psych Central, March 03, 2011.  “A sleep deficit of less than one hour of nightly sleep, over the course of six days, can cause children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to be wary and less attentive.”

Can You Outgrow A.D.H.D.? Or Get It as an Adult?, by New York Times. New York Times, February 10, 2011.

Untangling the Myths About Attention Disorder, by Perri Klass. New York Times, December 13, 2010.  “In the face of "overwhelming" scientific evidence, A.D.H.D. was regularly portrayed in the media as "myth, fraud or benign condition" - an artifact of too-strict teachers, perhaps, or too much television.”

Child's Ordeal Shows Risks of Psychosis Drugs for Young, by Duff Wilson. New York Times, September 01, 2010.  “More than 500,000 children and adolescents in America are now taking antipsychotic drugs, according to a September 2009 report by the Food and Drug Administration. Their use is growing not only among older teenagers, when schizophrenia is believed to emerge, but also among tens of thousands of preschoolers.”

Attention Disorders Can Take Toll on Marriage, by Tara Parker-Pope. New York Times, July 19, 2010.  “Adults with attention disorders often learn coping skills to help them stay organized and focused at work, but experts say many of them struggle at home, where their tendency to become distracted is a constant source of conflict. Some research suggests that these adults are twice as likely to be divorced; another study found high levels of distress in 60 percent of marriages where one spouse had the disorder.”

Seeking an Objective Test for Attention Disorder, by Katherine Ellison. New York Times, May 31, 2010.  “Most mainstream researchers consider A.D.H.D. to be an authentic neurological deficit that, left untreated, can ruin not only school report cards, but lives. Nonetheless the quest for objective evidence has gained new urgency in recent years.”

Scientists Link ADHD to Pesticides, by Jessica Berman. Voice of America, May 18, 2010.  “Scientists have found that exposure to pesticide residues on vegetables and fruit may double a child's risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) a condition that causes inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity or a combination of all three in children.”

Tools to Reduce Stigma of Mental Illness, by Rick Nauert. Psych Central, May 14, 2010.  “Researchers have announced a new intervention that can improve the quality of life and self-esteem among persons with serious mental illness.”

Mount Sinai finds prenatal exposure to certain chemicals affects childhood neurodevelopment, by Stephanie Engel and Amir Miodovnik, et al. EScience News, January 28, 2010.  “A new study led by Mount Sinai researchers in collaboration with scientists from Cornell University and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has found higher prenatal exposure to phthalates -- manmade chemicals that interfere with hormonal messaging -- to be connected with disruptive and problem behaviors in children between the ages of 4 and 9 years.”

Poor Children Likelier to Get Antipsychotics, by Duff Wilson. New York Times, December 11, 2009.  “Some children from poor families may be receiving powerful drugs because it is deemed a cheaper way to treat a problem.”

Massachusetts expands mental health parity, by Nan Shnitzler. New England Psychologist, October 15, 2009.

Staying Sane May Be Easier Than You Think, by John Cloud. Time Magazine, June 22, 2009.

Texting May Be Taking a Toll, by Katie Hafner. New York Times, May 25, 2009.  “Nearly 80 messages a day, on average, take their toll in a range of ways.”

Stepping Up to the Challenge, by Tara Parker-Pope. New York Times, April 14, 2009.

Drug Testing of Adolescents in Schools, by S. Levy. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, February 01, 2009.

Bad Behavior Does Not Doom Pupils, Studies Say, by Benedict Carey. The New York Times, November 13, 2007.  “ Two studies could change the way teachers and parents understand children who are disruptive or withdrawn. ”

Second Thoughts, by Judith Warner. The New York Times, March 01, 2007.  “Judith Warner blogs about using behavioral drugs for children.”