The fear of psychotropic drugs led the family to pursue alternative treatments for autism...Then one day, as Natalie roamed the aisles of a gluten-free expo in a Chicago suburb not far from where the family lives, she came across a booth for a Brain Balance Achievement Center.

Among youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), declines in body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-sds) and height-sds were observed after 18 months of psychostimulant treatment, according to research published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. However, researchers advocate further studies after finding that correlations with dosage were weak and that declines in BMI and height were not consistent among subgroups.

When my psychiatrist first prescribed medication for my ADHD, I remember reading the side effects and asking him “this isn’t going to make my anxiety worse, is it?” His response was basically “we’ll just have to wait and see.” Just like coffee isn’t known to relax people, stimulants in general are recognized for their potential to exacerbate anxiety, and that extends to ADHD meds like amphetamine and methylphenidate...As it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised.

Starting June 1, Michigan doctors are now required to review a patient's full history in the state prescriber registry, otherwise known as MAPS. This newest mandate is one of many legislative efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. Dr. Lisa Lowery, chief of adolescent medicine at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, said these are tools they have always had access to but are now required to use.

Results of a prospective longitudinal cohort study published in Pediatrics suggest that long-term medication adherence among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is correlated with treatment acceptance and parent perception of medication need.

As a mother, I know firsthand that girls are less likely than boys to be diagnosed with ADHD and often handle the challenges differently...Girls are underdiagnosed or diagnosed at a later age because they often present with the inattentive type. Inattentiveness is many times not noticed by parents until children go to school and have trouble learning, says Theodore Beauchaine, PhD, a professor of psychology at Ohio State University.

“Yes, Lucas has ADHD.” It’s been five years since our doctor spoke those words. We’d suspected it since Lucas was in preschool, but the official diagnosis at age 7 changed the conversation. No more wondering. Now there were decisions to make. A future to consider. A truckload of panic to work through.