A pilot project to improve the care of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) led to a reduction in symptoms as well as increased confidence among pediatricians in diagnosing and managing the disorder. The Chapter Quality Network (CQN) led the project from December 2015 through January 2017 to improve the quality of care processes and outcomes…

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 13% of children aged 8 to 15 years in the United States will experience a severe mental disorder at some point in their lives…Left untreated, severe mental health conditions can lead some children to take their own lives…Despite these disturbing statistics, in a 2013 survey conducted…

People seeking treatment for mental health conditions are more likely to quit treatment if it involves pharmacological remedies alone, according to a study published in the journal Psychotherapy. The study was a meta-analysis that looked at 186 previous studies of people pursuing treatment for mental health diagnoses.

Director Michael McNamara decided to make a documentary about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults after learning that a friend and colleague was diagnosed with it at the age of 56. His friend’s diagnosis had upended McNamara’s assumptions about the disorder, which is most commonly diagnosed in school-aged children. Until then, he didn’t know…

Despite diagnoses for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) occurring in a reported 11 percent of U.S. school-aged kids, clinicians still don’t fully understand the underlying causes of this common condition. Now a brain marker may be on the horizon, thanks to a new approach that provides evidence of a relationship between brain structure and dimensional measures of…

There are numerous examples of people with learning disabilities and mental health disorders doing extraordinary things: the child on the autism spectrum who is masterful at putting together incredibly intricate Lego creations, the young person with Asperger’s syndrome who knows more about presidential history than most adults, the child with dyslexia who is a master…

A group of French researchers headed by Jean-François Viel, MD, PhD, professor of epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Rennes, France, and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, investigated the associations between exposure to pyrethroid insecticides and behavioral skills in 6-year-olds…”We are being cautious because this is an observational study, so we cannot draw…

The efficacy of atomoxetine (Strattera/Eli Lilly) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been demonstrated in patients with and without comorbid psychiatric conditions, and a new review suggests that the treatment does not adversely affect those conditions. Although the reviewers found that up to 52% of children and adolescents and 87% of adults with ADHD are estimated…

Traumatic brain injuries do more kinds of damage than thought, a pair of University of California Los Angeles researchers have found. That includes changes in leukocytes—a finding that could help diagnosis and treatment of related disorders. [The researchers] have identified master genes they believe control hundreds of other genes linked to a variety of neurological…

It’s a controversial topic that’s made headlines nationwide, law enforcement officers and how they respond to people with mental health issues. For the first time, one south Georgia sheriff’s office is learning how to handle those cases. “Providing this training, what we’re doing is helping them understand what they’re seeing”

Political science senior John Shelden has trouble focusing. His mind wrestles with itself for control, and his thoughts can be hard to corral. The stillness of the classroom winds him up, so he concentrates on concentrating, as even a momentary lapse leads to a wasted lecture and pages of empty notes. However, Shelden has a…

Is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) a legitimate diagnosis or is it mostly a fraud? The answer has important implications for many individuals and for society. The diagnosis is accepted as legitimate by the psychiatric profession, but continues to have its vehement critics. Recently, noted psychologist Jerome Kagan has been giving tremendous weight to these…