ADHD news stories on Newser

Bad News for Lefties: You Have More Health Risks

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:34:05 CST

About 10% of the population is left-handed, but a disproportionate amount of people with schizophrenia—20%—are lefties. Schizophrenia is just one of a number of psychiatric and developmental disorders that are more common in left-handed people, including dyslexia, ADHD, language difficulties, and mood disorders. Researchers think this could have...

For My Hyper 7-Year-Old: Coffee

Matt Cantor — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:29:05 CDT

What do you do when your kid can’t sit still—but you’re concerned about the side effects of Ritalin? One mom offers an unusual remedy that goes against standard medical advice: Give the youngster coffee, she writes at the Stir blog at Cafe Mom . Christie Haskell didn’t want her hyperactive...

Secondhand Smoke Boosts Kids' ADHD Risk

Tim Karan — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:30:40 CDT

Here's an idea for a cigarette warning label: Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home are 50% more likely to develop mental and behavioral disorders like ADHD, according to a new study. Researchers can't prove that secondhand smoke causes the disorders, but say that if it does, 274,100 excess...

ADHD: Blame Genes, Not Parenting

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:13:14 CDT

The next time the kid at the table next to you at dinner won’t stop banging his spoon on the table, pause before inwardly berating his parents. He may have ADHD —and a new study shows that, contrary to popular belief, the disorder is not caused by bad parenting or...

Today's Tom Sawyer Would Be Medicated

John Johnson — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:44:27 CDT

Reread Huckleberry Finn today, and just try to keep track of the disorders Huck and Tom Sawyer would be diagnosed with as kids today: oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder right off the bat, writes Anne Applebaum in the Washington Post . It's "weirdly reassuring," in a...

Pesticides Linked to ADHD

Sarah Quinn — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:57:20 CDT

ADHD diagnoses rose a staggering 3% a year in the US between 1997 and 2006, and a new study suggests that pesticides may be part of the reason why. Researchers analyzed more than 1,100 kids ages 8 to 15 and discovered that those with detectable, above-average levels of toxic...

Teen ADHD Drug Abusers Suffer Serious Side Effects

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:30:13 CDT

Calls to poison control centers about teens abusing attention-deficit drugs soared 76% over eight years, a new study shows, highlighting the dangerous consequences of prescription abuse. The calls were from worried parents, emergency room doctors, and others seeking advice on how to deal with side-effects of ADHD drugs, which can...

ADHD Drugs Linked to Teen Sudden Death

Rob Quinn — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:22:26 CDT

A new study suggests that taking ADHD drugs like Ritalin puts young people at a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, WebMd reports. Children in the study who died suddenly and inexplicably were six to seven times likelier to have been taking ADHD medication containing stimulants.

Drug Trials a Lot Like Reality TV

Kevin Spak — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:51:02 CDT

Only one couple from The Bachelor has actually gotten married. No Apprentice winner has become fabulously wealthy. American Idol produced Taylor Hicks. Reality shows don’t always make good on their real-world promises, and in that way, they’re a lot like clinical drug trials, writes pediatrician Darshak Sanghavi in Slate. A...