The vast majority of people with bipolar disorder and about 35% of those with major depressive disorder have at least one other psychiatric illness. Some of these illnesses include anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance use disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms can overlap with other disorders. A group of researchers has found that adults with bipolar disorder and unipolar disorder experience ADHD at rates significantly higher than the average population.

Children on Medicaid received fewer antipsychotics after the implementation of a psychiatric consultation program in Washington state, researchers reported. After launching the Partnership Access Line (PAL) program, led by Seattle Children's Hospital, use of antipsychotics among Medicaid-enrolled children in Washington state fell by more than half, from 0.51% in 2006 to 0.25% in 2013, according to Rebecca Barclay, MD, and colleagues.

A study published in Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology has found an interesting new benefit that may come with ADHD meds: increased empathy. In the study, researchers followed 52 children and teens between the ages of 8 and 18 as they started treatment with methylphenidate, an ADHD medication. When the participants were surveyed after 12 weeks of medication, they ended up scoring higher on a test of empathy than they had before treatment – and this increase in empathy correlated with decreases in other ADHD symptoms.

Taught to be the primary caregivers from an early age, women feel pressured to plan their family’s social life, cook regular meals, and maintain an organized household, even though a majority of them work, Matlen says. While such responsibilities can be daunting for anyone, “How do you pull all that off when you have ADD?” she asks. Not easily, Matlen says. To make things worse, ADHD in women often gets misdiagnosed by professionals as either depression or anxiety, leaving the real cause dangling behind.

Children in the child protection system are three times more likely to have a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than the general population. Why is this the case? It’s possible that children with ADHD are more vulnerable to parental abuse and neglect because of their challenging behaviour and the socioeconomic backgrounds most commonly associated with ADHD. However it’s been recognised for a number of years that the behaviours we associate with ADHD, such as inattention and difficulty regulating emotions, are very similar to those typically exhibited by young people who have experienced chronic stress and maltreatment.

In this guest post, clinical psychologist Mona Delahooke explains why and how she has integrated the science of relationships and treatment for children to offer parents and their children more effective approaches to issues they may be facing. Her relationship-based approach unravels the latest neuroscience to make her work invaluable to service providers who work with young children.

Fayette County pre-school teacher Heather Blankenship has noticed a trend among some of her young pupils who are born during the summer months. "A large majority of my students with summer birthdays struggle the first several months of pre-K," Blankenship reported. "A few (struggle) the entire year." Blankenship is among a number of local educators and parents who are in support of a bill that would change age guidelines for children to start pre-school and kindergarten.

Some people are afraid to leave their homes. Others are stuck in dead-end jobs. Too many are too afraid to participate in the simplest of social encounters. Hearts race and pulses pound from the constant fear of judgement, embarrassment and humiliation. This is the reality of social anxiety disorder, one of the most common — yet misunderstood — anxiety problems.