ADHD Research News
New ADHD research studies referenced in this week's ADHD in the News:
- Chiang, Huey-Ling, et al. “Physical Fitness and Risk of Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents.” JAMA Pediatrics (April 29, 2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.0806.
- Referenced in “Staying Fit Boosts Kids' Mental Health (HealthDay, April 30, 2024)”
- Haijen, Eline C. H. M., et al. “Effects of Psychedelic Microdosing versus Conventional ADHD Medication Use on Emotion Regulation, Empathy, and ADHD Symptoms in Adults with Severe ADHD Symptoms: A Naturalistic Prospective Comparison Study.” European Psychiatry 67, no. 1 (January 2024): e18. DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.8.
- Referenced in “Psychedelic microdosing: A new frontier for treating ADHD symptoms and emotional dysregulation (PsyPost, May 2, 2024)”
- Miskowiak, Kamilla W., et al. “Efficacy and Safety of Established and Off-Label ADHD Drug Therapies for Cognitive Impairment or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review by the ISBD Targeting Cognition Task Force.” Bipolar Disorders (March 3, 2024):1-24. DOI: 10.1111/bdi.13414.
- Referenced in “Off-Label Use of ADHD Medications for Patients With Bipolar Disorder (Psychiatry Advisor, April 26, 2024)”
- Ojuri, Beatrice, et al. “The Impact of Sex on Cognitive Control in ADHD: Girls Slow to Inhibit, Boys Inhibit Less, and Both Show Higher Response Variability.” Journal of Attention Disorders (March 16, 2024). DOI: 10.1177/10870547241237242.
- Referenced in “Inhibition in ADHD: Girls Are Slow to Respond, Boys Have Poor Cognitive Control (Psychiatry Advisor, May 2, 2024)”
- Sørensen, L., et al. “Suboptimal Decision Making and Interpersonal Problems in ADHD: Longitudinal Evidence from a Laboratory Task.” Scientific Reports 14, no. 1 (March 19, 2024): 6535. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57041-x.
- Referenced in “Decision-making deficits predict social difficulties in children with ADHD (PsyPost, April 29, 2024)”
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.