News and Features Related to ADD & ADHD

1. ECG Not Required for Kids With ADHD
   

   July 30, 2008 -- Before a child goes on stimulant drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, they don't necessarily need to get an electrocardiogram (ECG) to screen for heart problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Heart Association (AHA) say it's "reasonabl

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2. Minimize School Morning Mayhem for ADHD Children
   

   Getting any child up and out the door in time for school can be a trying experience, but if a child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), this process can make you want to pull your hair out. Think about all that can go wrong: The backpack may not be where it was supposed to be or the

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3. Tips to Reduce the Side Effects of ADHD Medications
   

   Stomach upsets, weight loss, insomnia are all common side effects of ADHD medications. Often they are mild, not lasting beyond the first few weeks -- but not always. For many kids, the battle with side effects is constant. Steven Parker, MD, director of behavioral and developmental pediatrics at Bos

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4. CDC: About 5% of Kids Have ADHD
   

   July 23, 2008 -- The CDC today reported that about 5% of U.S. children aged 6-17 have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to their parents. Data came from the parents of almost 23,000 children aged 6-17. The parents were asked, in telephone interviews condu

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5. FDA OKs Concerta for Adult ADHD
   

   June 30, 2008 -- The FDA has approved the drug Concerta for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults. Concerta isn't a new ADHD drug. The FDA first approved it in 2000 for use in children as young as 6. Concerta may now be used to treat ADHD in adults aged 18-65, ac

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6. St. John’s Wort May Not Ease ADHD
   

   June 10, 2008 -- Many parents believe that herbal medicines can help children with ADHD focus better and ease other symptoms. However, a new study shows that in children and teens diagnosed with ADHD, taking St. John’s wort was no better than taking a placebo pill. Attention deficit hyperactivity di

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7. Adults With ADHD Miss More Workdays
   

   May 27, 2008 -- Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) work 22 fewer workdays than their co-workers without the condition, according to a new study. The total takes into account days absent and days of low productivity. "When you compare these people to other people of the same

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8. Experts Revisit Food Additives and ADHD
   

   May 22, 2008 -- The notion that artificial colors and preservatives in foods may play a role in hyperactivity has been largely dismissed within conventional medicine, but there are signs that this is beginning to change. In a newly published editorial appearing in BMJ, pediatrics professor Andrew Ke

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9. Adult ADHD Underdiagnosed?
   

   May 6, 2008 (Washington) -- The criteria used to diagnose adult ADHD are outdated, and as a result, many cases could be missed or misdiagnosed, researchers say. The problem, says James J. McGough, MD, is that the criteria are based in large part on diagnosing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

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10. ADHD: An Update on Diagnosis and Treatment for Kids
    

    At age 4, Jeremiah Ryans routinely refused to wait in line at the water fountain at his summer day camp. Sometimes he'd get so cranky he would hit his classmates. But an alarm bell went off when he grabbed a pair of children's scissors and cut his teacher's hair. Just a kid being a kid -- or extreme

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