Addiction Treatment Blog by Addiction Experts » Entries tagged with "ADHD"
Accepting Help: The Hands That Are Waiting
There’s a strange and crippling mechanism which never ceases to execute flawlessly within my mind, one that predisposes me to addiction and closes the door to self-acceptance, leaving only one solitary escape from an otherwise dead-end. Have you ever experienced the odd phenomena of a compliment? There’s nothing in this world that terrifies me more than when someone offers me one. In these moments my inner system screeches to a stop and sends the person … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Alcohol and Drugs, Treatment
Five Psychiatric Disorders Have Common Genetics
Researchers have found that people with autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, or schizophrenia may not be all that different on the genetic level. The largest genetic study of mental illnesses to date finds five major disorders may not look much alike but they share some gene-based risks. The surprising discovery comes in the quest to unravel what causes psychiatric disorders and how to better diagnose and treat them. The disorders – autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders, Mental Illness, Research
Substance Abuse Rates Higher for Teens with ADHD
A wide-ranging study has found higher rates of substance abuse and cigarette-smoking among teens diagnosed with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, was conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, along with six health centers across the U.S., and is the first to examine substance abuse and treatment among adolescents with ADHD on a large scale. “This study underscores the significance of the substance abuse risk for both boys and girls with childhood ADHD,” Brooke Molina, Ph.D., lead author of the report, told PsychCentral in an interview. “These findings also are the strongest test to date of the association between medication for ADHD and teenage substance abuse.” The researchers involved in the study observed over 600 … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders, Substance Abuse
Whatever happened to the playground?
In today’s age, it seems like kids are starting to do things younger and younger, from wearing makeup to using cell phones. It seems that this trend of “younger, younger, younger” has pushed itself knee deep into the bog of drinking, drugs, and potential addiction. Kids are starting to use dangerous drugs regularly at the beginning of their teen years. Is this because the easy access, the fact that so many of them see this … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Substance Abuse
The Genetics of ADHD
Attention deficit-hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric disorder among children. Approximately 8 to 12 percent of the infant-to-adolescent population worldwide suffers from ADHD, and about 50 percent of these ADHD cases persist into adulthood. Despite these numbers, there is still no official tool to diagnose ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD include difficulty paying attention, being frequently distracted, and having difficulty completing tasks. Some people with ADHD also display impulsive behavior and engage in excessive, inappropriate activities. It is very challenging for individuals with ADHD to contain their impulses. In a provocative new thesis, researcher Alaitz Molano of Spain’s UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country, attempted to fill the inconsistent diagnosing gap by not only identifying a way to improve the diagnosis of ADHD but also to enhance the current treatments. Molano chose … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders, Mental Illness, Recovery
ADHD on the Rise
A new study conducted by Kaiser Permanente reveals that the number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has skyrocketed 24 percent between 2001 and 2010. The study included 842,830 children, ages 5 to 11, with an ADHD diagnosis in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California health plan. The study, published online in JAMA Pediatrics, found that 4.9 percent of children treated through insurer Kaiser Permanente Southern California were diagnosed with ADHD during the decade long study. The figure is slightly lower than government and other estimates that suggest almost 10 percent of school-age children have the disorder, but it matches other studies showing a significant rise in the rate of first-time ADHD diagnosis for children. ADHD is the most common neurobehavioral disorder in children. The condition is often marked by … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders
Tricyclic Antidepressants
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are a class of antidepressant used to treat depression, anxiety, ADHD, and insomnia, among other conditions and disorders. Though still widely used to treat some conditions, they have fallen out of favor in recent years, largely replaced by newer antidepressants that cause fewer and less severe side effects. Nonetheless, TCAs can be very effective in treating depression and anxiety when other options have failed. Dr. Annette Ogbru, a medical author for the WebMD network, lists the following TCAs as having been approved for use in the United States: amitriptyline (Elavil) amoxapine (Amoxapine) clomipramine (Anafranil) desipramine (Norpramin) doxepin (Sinequan) imipramine (Tofranil) nortriptyline (Pamelor, Aventyl) protriptyline (Vivactil) trimipramine (Surmontil) Among the many conditions TCAs have been used to treat, as listed by the website Drugs.com, are the following: ADHD Anxiety Bulimia Burning Mouth Syndrome Chronic Myofascial Pain Chronic Itchiness Coughing Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Depression Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Dysautonomia Dysthymia Fibromyalgia Hyperhidrosis Insomnia Interstitial Cystitis Irritable Bowel Syndrome Migraine … Read entire article »
Filed under: Latest News
ADHD Medication: Cause or Cure?
Therapy and the diagnosis of mental disorders is becoming a common part of many people’s lives, but people do not always receive proper therapy or diagnosis. The number of children who are perceived to have the developmental disorder attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is growing rapidly and most of these children are being prescribed medications as part of their treatment plans. The medications being used are mostly stimulants, many of which contain amphetamine. The fact that amphetamine, known by its street name as speed, is given to children as medication is alarming because it is an addictive psychostimulant drug. The immediate discontinuation of this medication can cause withdrawal effects ranging from an increased appetite and excessive sleep to mental fatigue and depression, even suicidal ideation. The short-term physical effects are also problematic for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Addiction, Mental Illness, Research
Connecticut Shootings Lead Many To Take a Closer Look At Mental Health
The Sandy Hook shooting spikes a variety of major issues: gun control, school safety, media coverage, and mental health. Various sources report that 20-year-old shooter, Adam Lanza, had a psychiatric illness, which some report to be a personality disorder (The Denver Channel, 2012) or Asperger’s syndrome (Ne’eman, 2012). While it has not been fully confirmed, it is obvious that somebody with good mental health probably would not commit such an atrocious crime. This massacre served as an impetus to discuss the issues of quality and availability of mental health services in the United States. In the US, individuals in need of treatment for mental illness often do not receive the care or the quality of care that they require, especially if they are children or adolescents. Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, Columbia University … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mental Illness, Uncategorized
Misbehave and Get Bad Grades
In a new study, carried out by sociology professor Jane D. McLeod at Indiana University, it has been found that behavioral problems, rather than depression, in young students are associated with bad grades. McLeod used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), which followed thousands of middle and high school students through their changes into adulthood. She studied student’s GPAs from that year and when they achieved an advanced degree in 2008-2009. McLeod found that students who had such problems with depression also had issues with substance abuse, delinquency, and attention, making depression a small factor in their declined school performance. McLeod stated, “The argument we make in our study is what’s really happening is that youths who are depressed also have other problems as well, and it’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: Research
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