ADHD in the News 2020-07-30

Study Suggests People With ADHD More Likely to Get COVID-19

In a paper titled ADHD as a Risk Factor for Infection With COVID-19, researchers in Israel showed, well, that ADHD is a risk factor for infection with COVID-19. They did that by analyzing 14,022 COVID-19 tests administered across the months of March, April and May. A little over 10 percent of those tests came back positive, but the big news is that rates of ADHD were significantly higher among the group that tested positive (16.24 percent) than among the group that tested negative (11.65 percent) suggesting that ADHDers were more likely to get COVID-19.



Creators call digital game prescription for ADHD the future of medicine. Critics call it a marketing ploy

Barkley and three other ADHD experts who reviewed Akili’s research said the firm was overpromising by implying that EndeavorRx can provide meaningful help for children struggling in school and at home with the sometimes-debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder, whose symptoms include distraction, forgetfulness and impulsivity.



Procrastivity (or Sneaky Avoidance) and Adult ADHD Coping – Part 2: Coping tips for turning intentions into actions

Part 1 of this discussion focused on the reverse engineering of procrastivity – a form of procrastination defined as putting off one’s priority task by escaping to a lower priority, but still productive task.1 In that earlier post I outlined, the elements of these escape tasks that make them more desirable, at least when facing a more challenging priority task, particularly for adults with ADHD. Part 2 focuses on taking these elements and re-purposing them to overcome procrastination.



Parents Express Concerns About Online Learning and Students with ADHD

One teacher says one way to help a child focus while learning online, is to divide school work into smaller units of time, and allow for breaks in between (video).



Concussion Ups Odds for Many Brain Conditions

The study of more than 186,000 Canadians found that those who suffered a concussion were more likely to develop any of several conditions, including: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); depression or anxiety; Parkinson's disease; or dementia. Their risks were roughly 40% to 70% higher, compared to people who did not sustain a concussion during the 25-year study period.



ADHD assessment system ‘broken’ with five-year waiting times

Freedom of Information requests to NHS trusts found at least 21,000 adults on waiting lists for ADHD services. One patient who was told to wait two years for a diagnosis said: "There are people out there absolutely desperate." The NHS trust said waiting times were longer "than we would like".



ADHD services map reveals major gaps in care, failing the vulnerable

Research led by the University of Exeter, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open, has led to the first national map of ADHD service provision, based on responses to a survey completed by more than 2,600 respondents. The NIHR-funded research found huge variation in available care, patchy provision of dedicated ADHD services, and variation in the reports of services between people with ADHD, service users and health workers.



Uncertain and Anxious About the Fall?

So far, 2020 has been a bit of a bust for many teens and young adults with (and without) ADHD. Facing an unclear fall semester, everything continues to look upside down...But instead of persistent worried thoughts, you can control and lower the volume on your anxiety by shifting to curiosity. While anxiety shuts you down and predicts negative outcomes, curiosity opens you to possibilities and helps you rely on your resilience. Here are four key tips for making this shift: