Do Allergies Affect ADHD Treatment?
You may struggle with mental clarity if you have ADHD, but an allergy can affect your cognition even further. ADHD comprises many symptoms and often occurs with comorbid conditions, including seasonal or other allergies and sensitivities. Allergies can muddy our ability to think clearly whether we have ADHD or not. I’ve coached many individuals who…
Read MoreWhat If I’d Been Diagnosed Sooner?
PART OF MY ROLE AS A PSYCHOLOGIST is to complete ADHD-focused evaluations for adults. Clients often come to me after their children are diagnosed, and the child’s psychiatrist or psychotherapist recommends that the parent also complete an evaluation. During an initial visit, we review current symptoms, history of those symptoms, other mental health concerns like…
Read MoreTreating ADHD and Cannabis Use Disorder
Joyce Cooper-Kahn, PhD, interviews Kevin M. Gray, MD Kevin M. Gray, MD, is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and assistant provost for research advancement at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. As a child and adolescent psychiatrist and physician-scientist, Dr. Gray is dedicated to addressing youth substance use and related problems by…
Read MoreWhen ADHD and Substance Use Disorders Coexist
FOR PEOPLE WITH ADHD across the lifespan, the co-occurrence of other disorders is generally the rule rather than the exception. Experts estimate that at least 60-80 percent of children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD have at least one other condition. Conduct disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, learning disorders, and anxiety and mood disorders are the most…
Read MoreFrenzied, Frazzled, and Overwhelmed: The Interaction of Hormones and ADHD in Women in Midlife
MANY WOMEN STRUGGLE at midlife with undiagnosed and untreated ADHD complicated by hormonal changes, which often span two decades. They typically report feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, misunderstood, and distressed at a time in their lives when they often have the greatest demands on their time and energy. Their problems can be exacerbated by the denial of…
Read MoreHealth Outcomes of ADHD: Is There an Effect on Life Expectancy?
THE MAIN MESSAGE of my presentation at the 2018 conference concerned the health consequences of ADHD. Specifically, I addressed how those consequences might add up over time and accumulate to the point that there might be an adverse effect on a person’s life expectancy. Now, in our study, we looked at that in several ways.…
Read MoreChildren and Violent Behavior: Where it Comes From and What to Do
MANY CHILDREN HAVE VIOLENT THOUGHTS AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS. Normal rough-and-tumble play-fighting can get too rough. Kids hit, kick, scratch, bite, throw, or even choke. Many children enjoy playing with toy guns. Even in households where toy weapons are banned, kids will still pretend to be warriors, making rifles out of sticks and guns out of…
Read MoreADHD and Life Expectancy: Treatment Matters More Than You Might Think
CHADD and Russell A. Barkley, PhD, Partner to Announce Findings THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR. Treatment for ADHD, along with the related health risks it poses, has the possibility of adding an average of nine to thirteen years to the lifespan of children and adults diagnosed with ADHD. This is the implication of a cutting-edge research…
Read MoreADHD & Obesity: An Under-Recognized Problem
EATING is one of the most routine things people do, yet healthy eating and weight regulation remain a challenge for many individuals. This is especially true for those with ADHD. Several recent research studies looked at the relationship between ADHD and obesity, citing it as an under-recognized problem. A longitudinal study found that men with…
Read MoreSpontaneous or Impulsive? How to Know, What to Do
MOST OF US CRINGE WHEN WE HEAR THE WORD IMPULSIVITY, as it brings to mind what our impulsive decisions or behaviors have resulted in. Impulsivity can cause accidents, inefficiency, poor performance reviews at work, and adversely affect treasured relationships. What is impulsivity and how does it differ from spontaneity? Most of us like being spontaneous,…
Read MoreChronic Constipation: The Other ADD
Chronic Constipation: The Other Add Craig B.Liden, MD, and Terri West, PA-C EDITOR’S NOTE: This article contains important information about constipation, an extremely common problem for children and adults with ADHD. We’ve learned a lot about how significant a problem it is and how to best manage it from these authors, and we feel you…
Read MoreSPACE: A Parent-Based Intervention for Reducing Childhood Anxiety
EXPERTS estimate that up to thirty percent of children with ADHD experience a co-occurring anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, not all highly anxious children will agree to participate in treatment, no matter how effective the treatment might be in reducing their suffering. And even when they do agree to participate, not all of these otherwise effective treatments…
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