A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry has shed new light on how genetic factors contribute to different patterns of depression during adolescence. By analyzing the genetic data of over 14,000 adolescents from two major cohorts, researchers identified distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms and linked these patterns to genetic risks shared across multiple psychiatric conditions.

The Psych Congress Network sat down with Tim Wilens, MD, chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, in September for an in-depth Q&A on adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment.

[Excerpt] A study coordinated by the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD), within the SJD MIND Schools program, and the CIBER of Mental Health (CIBERSAM) has analyzed the impact of the genetic basis of these disorders on the mental health and academic outcomes of children and adolescents from…

Key Takeaways: No differences in creativity emerged between children whose mothers had epilepsy and other children at age 4.5 years. However, children of women with epilepsy showed exposure-dependent effects in executive function. Exposure-dependent effects in executive function were most pronounced in children of women taking levetiracetam.

Disturbed sleep is very common in almost all neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions (NDPCs), such as autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. While it is understandable that the symptoms of such conditions would lead to sleep disruption and also that sleep disruption would worsen symptoms in these conditions, Irish researchers have now…

Niki Elliot skipped the fifth grade. She was so smart that she could have skipped another, she said, but her mother didn’t want her in class with older boys. She was bored in school. She had a “near photographic” memory and didn’t need to study — so she never learned how to, Elliot said.

A new study to be presented at the SLEEP 2024 annual meeting found that household chaos and sleep hygiene are important factors in the relationship between sleep quality and ADHD symptoms in teens.

[Excerpt] This is the first meta-analysis paper of chronic medication effects on cognition in ADHD, looking at attention, inhibition, reaction time and working memory.

When teachers and parents talk to kids about having ADHD, autism or learning disabilities, they set them up for success

It’s a Saturday afternoon at a kids’ birthday party. Hordes of children are swarming between the spread of birthday treats and party games. Half-eaten cupcakes, biscuits and lollies litter the floor, and the kids seem to have gained superhuman speed and bounce-off-the-wall energy. But is sugar to blame?

Unprecedented demand, supply shortages, and production delays have resulted in an ongoing shortage of stimulant medications to treat adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), placing both patients and providers in a frustrating situation.

New research has revealed the extensive impact of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) highlighting mental health vulnerabilities, physical health risks, and societal implications, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to properly manage this condition.