The number of young, adult women medicated for ADHD has skyrocketed over the last decade – jumping by 344%, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...The report does not explain why the number rose so much, but experts in the field note that the public’s understanding of ADHD has been transformed since the early 2000s.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a recognized disorder affecting both children and adults, but what is known about ADHD when it affects older adults, especially those nearing retirement age or those who are already retired?...[Kathleen G. Nadeau, PhD], a psychologist in Maryland, spoke about this issue at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders in a talk called Still Distracted After All These Years: Exploring ADHD After Age 60. Here are 5 takeaways from her talk:

Only 53% of the doses of ADHD medications prescribed to college students are actually taken, according to a study published this month in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. As children grow up, their ADHD treatment, from therapy to educational accommodations to medications are managed primarily by their parents and teachers. But when students enter college that responsibility is abruptly switched to the student — who, by the very nature of the disorder, often struggles with such a regimented treatment plan.

A large prospective study published in Brain Sciences has found that suboptimal maternal cholesterol levels, in particular low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, may increase the risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring. Yuelong Ji, MS, MSPH, of the Center on Early Life Origins of Disease, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues also found that the male fetus appears to be more vulnerable to maternal cholesterol levels.

Risk factors, such as tobacco or alcohol use by pregnant women, have not been shown to clearly correlate with ADHD in offspring, with results varying among studies. Links between prenatal exposures and later outcomes can be evaluated through large cohort studies, using extensive clinical and socioeconomic data to control for potential confounders. In one such analysis, the Danish National Birth Cohort study,[1] mothers were recruited between 1996 and 2002, and data on coffee and tea consumption were obtained by maternal self-report.

At a recent Paris scientific conference, scientists in psychiatry discussed evidence supporting the theory that sleep and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are intertwined. However, some experts caution that more proof is needed to make the association and that many new cases involve children whose sleep disorders cause behaviors that mimic ADHD.

New research finds that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) engaged in substance use at a younger age than those without ADHD and had a significantly higher prevalence of regular marijuana and cigarette use into adulthood. The study appears online in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry."

Florida State University researchers are seeing promising results from “video games” they created as a potential new option to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder without medication. It’s a unique idea. There’s nothing else like it worldwide — a patent is pending — and encouraging preliminary results have captured the attention of the federal government...A huge demand currently exists for an ADHD treatment that does not require children to take prescription drugs every day."