ADHD Research News
New ADHD research studies referenced in this week's ADHD in the News:
- Davidsson, Maria, et al. (2025). “Adverse Childhood Experiences in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Their Parents.” Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, February, 1–9. DOI: 10.1080/08039488.2025.2469737.
- Referenced in “Children with neurodevelopmental disorders found to be negatively impacted if their mothers had difficult childhoods (Medical Xpress, April 7, 2025)”
- Farhat, Luis C., et al. (2025). “Comparative Cardiovascular Safety of Medications for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children, Adolescents, and Adults: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.” The Lancet Psychiatry, April. DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(25)00062-8.
- Referenced in “All ADHD Meds Tied to Small Blips in Blood Pressure and Pulse (MedPage Today, April 7, 2025)”
- Goldberg, Simone Y., et al. (2024). “Distressing Problems with Sexual Function and Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.” Archives of Sexual Behavior 53 (10): 3739–3745. DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02977-4.
- Referenced in “New study finds link between ADHD symptoms and distressing sexual problems (PsyPost, April 4, 2025)”
- Mace, John H., et al. (2025). “Involuntary Remembering and ADHD: Do Individuals with ADHD Symptoms Experience High Volumes of Involuntary Memories in Everyday Life?” British Journal of Psychology 116 (1): 216–232. DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12749.
- Referenced in “People with ADHD symptoms report more involuntary memories in daily life (PsyPost, April 10, 2025)”
- Modesti, Martina Nicole, et al. (2025). “ADHD in Adults and Criminal Behavior: The Role of Psychiatric Comorbidities and Clinical and Sociodemographic Factors in a Clinical Sample.” International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 101, July:102088. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2025.102088.
- Referenced in “ADHD Plus Comorbidities May Up Risk for Criminal Behavior (Medscape, April 4, 2025)”
- Seiler, Johannes P.-H., et al. (2025). “A Reduced Perception of Sensory Information Is Linked with Elevated Boredom in People with and without Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.” Communications Psychology 3 (1): 1–13. DOI: 10.1038/s44271-025-00233-6.
- Referenced in “Sensory perception linked to boredom in both ADHD and non-ADHD individuals (Medical Xpress, April 9, 2025)”
- Ye, Wenrui, et al. (2025). “Association between Maternal Diabetes and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 202 Observational Studies Comprising 56·1 Million Pregnancies.” The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. DOI: 10.1016/S2213-8587(25)00036-1.
- Referenced in “New Study Links Diabetes in Pregnancy to Developmental Risks in Children (The New York Times, April 7, 2025)”
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis, Treatment, and Telehealth Use in Adults — National Center for Health Statistics Rapid Surveys System, United States, October–November 2023
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), October 10, 2024, 73(40);890–895
In 2023, an estimated 15.5 million U.S. adults had an ADHD diagnosis, approximately one half of whom received their diagnosis in adulthood. Approximately one third of adults with ADHD take stimulant medication; 71.5% had difficulty filling their prescription because the medication was unavailable. Approximately one half of adults with ADHD have ever used telehealth for ADHD services.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children Ages 5–17 Years: United States, 2020–2022
NCHS Data Brief No. 499, March 2024
Data from the National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2020–2022, finds that 11.3% of children ages 5-17 in the U.S have ever been diagnosed with ADHD. See the breakdown by age group, race, ethnicity, family income, and insurance coverage at General Prevalence of ADHD.
Who Provides Outpatient Clinical Care for Adults With ADHD? Analysis of Healthcare Claims by Types of Providers Among Private Insurance and Medicaid Enrollees, 2021
Journal of Attention Disorders, March 18, 2024
This study from CDC researchers and CHADD PAB co-chair, Craig Surman, MD, finds that family practice physicians, psychiatrists, and nurse practitioners/psychiatric nurses were the most common providers for adults using employer-sponsored insurance, although the distribution of provider types varied across states. Lower percentages of adults with Medicaid received ADHD care from physicians. Approximately half of adults receiving outpatient ADHD care received ADHD care by telehealth.
ADHD medication and risk of cardiovascular diseases
Commentary by CHADD PAB member, Russell J. Schachar, MD, on Zhang et al. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medications and Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases, JAMA Psychiatry, November 22, 2023.
Trends in Stimulant Prescription Fills Among Commercially Insured Children and Adults—United States, 2016-2021
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, March 31, 2023
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Summary:
What is already known about this topic?
Prescriptions for stimulants, primarily used to treat attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), were increasing for adults before the COVID-19 pandemic. Policies enacted during the pandemic expanded access to prescription stimulants via telehealth.
What is added by this report?
The percentage of adolescent and adult females and adult males receiving prescription stimulant fills increased during 2016-2021, particularly during 2020-2021.
What are the implications for public health practice?
Growing recognition of ADHD in adults and increases in prescription stimulant fills raise questions about current adult ADHD care. Development of clinical recommendations for diagnosing and managing adult ADHD could help guide safe and appropriate stimulant prescribing. Evaluation of policies enacted during the pandemic could identify benefits and harms of those policies.
