ADHD in the News 2026-04-09
Girls surpass boys in ADHD diagnoses in parts of the world. Why?
In some parts of the world, the number of girls diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is surpassing boys, according to new research − a trend we've not yet seen in the United States. In the study, published April 8 in JAMA, researchers found ADHD diagnoses in post-pandemic years among female adolescents and young adults in British Columbia, Canada surpassed same-aged males for the first time on record. High school-aged adolescents were defined as ages 13 to 17 and young adults as 18 to 29. The study analyzed British Columbia health data from more than 2.7 million patients aged 3 to 29 from 2003 to 2023.
Patients With ADHD Receiving Medical Stimulants Treatment Decreased Between 2018 and 2023
Key point: Adult stimulant use peaked in young adulthood and resulted in significant shifts in prescribing patterns and service modalities, which underscores the need for alternative treatment approaches and more structured diagnostic evaluations in ADHD.
Later ADHD diagnosis linked to worse educational outcomes
Key Takeaways: In a nationwide Finnish cohort of more than 580,000 individuals, later age at ADHD diagnosis was consistently associated with lower GPA at aged 16 years. Individuals diagnosed with ADHD in adolescence were less likely to complete academic upper secondary education and more likely to experience school dropout by aged 20 years. Female patients were diagnosed later than male patients on average, and delayed diagnosis was linked to reduced academic progression across multiple educational milestones.
Judith Rapoport dies at 92. Her best-selling book introduced readers to OCD.
While working at the NIH, she wrote “The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Washing,” a groundbreaking study of obsessive-compulsive disorder. She also researched childhood schizophrenia and ADHD.
Can medicinal cannabis help kids’ autism, ADHD or Tourette’s? Here’s what we know so far
In the past ten years or so there has been a lot of interest to see if medicinal cannabis can help children with emotional and behavioural problems – the ones associated with conditions such as autism, ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) and Tourette syndrome. Australia’s drug regulator confirms doctors are prescribing medicinal cannabis for such conditions. If discussions on social media are anything to go by, some parents want their children to try it when other strategies have not worked. Some teenagers are curious to see if it’s right for them. But there’s not yet a lot of high-quality evidence to support medicinal cannabis for these emotional and behavioural problems. There are also potential safety concerns.
Will I Pass Down My ADHD to My Kid?
[Excerpt] I had made my peace with all of that: I am who I am, and all I can do is try, I’d remind myself. Then my daughter was born, and all I felt about those four letters was shame. Shame — and a voice in my head telling me I had to do everything in my power to keep Lulu from experiencing the impact of my silly mistakes.
PARENT VOICE: Children with special needs are too often failed by our education system (Opinion)
We need pipelines to train much needed specialists in psychology, speech pathology and occupational and physical therapy
How to Stop Taking Things Personally When You Have ADHD
Key points: Taking things personally is often a response to a past of being rejected or criticized by others. Learning to examine the evidence is how you stop the cycle of taking things personally. Learn the skill of examining the evidence in four short steps.
Tulsa chess club helps students with ADHD and autism build social skills
A partnership between Town & Country School and the University of Tulsa is using chess to support students with autism and ADHD.
CT researchers study social media and youth mental health. Including more use versus more harm.
How does social media affect the mental health of young people, and does more use always mean more harm? Several researchers are working to find out through four pilot studies funded by Yale Child Study Center. The projects, announced in October 2025, are generating early findings that challenge oversimplified narratives about teen screen time. They point toward more nuanced, targeted approaches to understanding social media’s harms and benefits.
Integrated motor exercise improves core ADHD symptoms and executive function
[Excerpt] On February 11, 2026, researchers from Beijing Normal University, Beijing Sport University, Xuzhou Rehabilitation Hospital affiliated with Xuzhou Medical University, and Peking University Sixth Hospital published a study in World Journal of Pediatrics showing that a 12-week integrated cognitive-motor exercise program reduced core ADHD symptoms in children and produced stronger improvements in inhibitory control and immediate working memory than aerobic exercise alone, pointing to a promising non-pharmacological strategy for more comprehensive ADHD management.
Mental, physical illnesses often go hand in hand. Genetic study helps explain why
For centuries, mental illness and physical disease have been viewed as two distinct categories, each with its own field of study, its own doctors, and its own menu of treatments. New CU Boulder research calls that age-old dichotomy into question, showing that the same chunks of DNA that underly psychiatric disorders like depression, PTSD and ADHD are associated with risk of a host of physical ailments, too. The study of nearly two million people, published in the journal Nature Communications, sheds light on just how often, and why, psychiatric and physical diseases go hand in hand. It could ultimately pave the way for new therapies that address both, the authors said.
Mental Health Integration Improves Care Access in ACHD Programs
Key point: Integration of mental health services within adult congenital heart disease programs results in a majority of patients receiving necessary referrals.