Addiction Treatment Blog by Addiction Experts » Entries tagged with "Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder"
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
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
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
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
Medications Often Prescribed to Youngest Kids in Class
In a new study, it has been revealed that children who are among the youngest in their third grade class population are 50 percent more likely to be prescribed stimulant drugs for attention deficit disorder. According to the study, these younger kids also nearly twice as likely to score low on math, language, and art tests. The research was gathered and compiled by scientists from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The study was based on data obtained at a school in Iceland. Researchers surveyed an unusually large number of children for the study – 11,785 subjects aged 9 to 12. The study showed that the youngest portion of the third graders scored an average of ten percentiles lower on standardized tests in language, arts, and math compared to the eldest … Read entire article »
Filed under: Research
ADHD Medications Questionably Prescribed to Young Students
Prescribing medications for ADHD is a hot-button issue in today’s medical community. The prevalence of ADHD diagnoses has increased steadily over the last several years and it appears that this trend will continue for some time to come. I recently came across an article in The New York Times in which a study found that doctors are increasingly prescribing ADHD medication to low-income level students with the belief that it will help them to better … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders
EXERCISE: THE KEY TO MENTAL HEALTH?
It has long been suspected that exercise has as much of an impact on the brain as it does the body, even if the body parts doing the heavy lifting are below the neck. In recent years, suspicions have been backed up with research, and the studies showing links between physical fitness and improved mental health keep piling up. The latest study to confirm this connection comes from Dartmouth’s David Bucci, an associate professor in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mental Illness, Recovery
The Needle and the Damage Undone
Heroin is a very popular drug around the world. Over the past couple years, heroin has become an epidemic. During my two years of using heroin, I have seen many friends go down with this drug addiction. Before I was using heroin, I was smoking weed on a daily basis. I first started smoking when I was a freshman in high school. Sophomore year came around and I didn’t smoke weed more than ten times. By … Read entire article »
Seven Celebrities with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, commonly known as OCD, is a disorder that has to do with anxiety and is characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce apprehension, uneasiness, fear, or worry. People with the disorder often have repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions. Cameron Diaz, the star of such movies as There’s Something About Mary, The Mask, and Charlie’s Angels is one star who has said in previous interviews that she OCD. Her obsessions and compulsions were germ oriented, and she claimed to have removed paint from the doorknobs in her house from cleaning them over and over again. She has since said she has “made peace” with the disorder and even gained the courage to remove stitches from The Daily Show’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: Celebrity, Conditions and Disorders
Food Additives May Up the Possibility of an ADHD Diagnosis
We’ve heard that bad parenting may be to blame, that perhaps a little foul play during pregnancy contributed to the child’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Ambiguous claims that “diets lacking in balanced nutrition” may be partially responsible for the development of ADHD in some children. However, it is rare that we hear of specific correlations between foods (or food additives, in this case) and the increased possibility of ADHD. According to the Huffington Post, scientists have made progress in the analysis of food additives correlating to instances of ADHD. Researchers have speculated that food coloring and preservatives have existed as components that exacerbate a child’s ADHD symptoms. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Did the ADHD stem from a genetic basis or did the excess of food coloring and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Conditions and Disorders, Latest News, Research
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