More than half of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) find their symptoms change depending on their environment, new findings show. “Many noticed that while certain environments amplified difficulties, others seemed to make them disappear,” wrote Arielle K. Lasky, of the University of California at Los Angeles, and her colleagues in the journal Social Science & Medicine.

This study evaluated published literature from 1970 onward to identify studies that documented the time children spend on both academic and leisure activities. They began by looking at the time children spent studying per week, dividing children into age groups of 3-5 years old, 6-8 years old, and 9-12 years old, as well as all children combined.

Atomoxetine may be an effective and safe nonstimulant alternative drug for children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), new research hints. "Atomoxetine demonstrates comparable safety and tolerability to stimulant medications and should be considered a valid treatment alternative for those who do not tolerate or respond to stimulants," said lead author Dr. M.M. Naveen, child and adolescent psychiatry fellow in the University of Maryland Sheppard Pratt program in Baltimore.

Genetic research suggests that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety disorders may share similar genetic makeup. Approximately 30 percent of those diagnosed with ADHD have also been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and that number may be as high as 50 percent in adults."

Nurse practitioners who have the authority to prescribe controlled substances in the form of mental health drugs have prescribing patterns similar to physicians, new research shows...Dr Klein and her colleagues assessed the prescribing patterns of generalists (family, pediatrics) and specialists (psychiatry) who treated Medicaid patients in Oregon with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 2012.

Many parents of ADHD children may still opt for physician's prescription, combined with traditional psychotherapy (such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). However, child psychologists today are widely recommending music therapy which complements psychotherapy or as a part of a multi-modal ADHD treatment. Music influences mood and reduces restlessness and impulsiveness. Music also soothes anxiety and stress in the body, and children with ADHD often feel anxious and stressed.

Many children and teenagers are diagnosed with ADHD. Parents are familiar with the list of symptoms and often get professionals to help their child modify their disorganization, distractability, and hyperactivity. But rarely are the parents given guidance on how to handle their own feelings about their child’s problems and actions, and many parent-child arguments and conflicts ensue, which only worsen the child’s shame and confusion.

Tamara Vanderwal, M.D., associate research scientist at the Yale Child Study Center, was recently awarded a two-year grant through the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation to use movies to investigate brain network dynamics in ADHD. “Exploring movies started as a way to increase compliance during brain scanning,” Vanderwal explained. There are only a handful of fMRI studies on awake kids aged four to six because it is difficult for them to keep still for so long. The powerful effect of the visual motion on the children convinced her movies could be used to probe brain connectivity, even in young children.