Oliver North ’ s Ritalin Myth
The incoming NRA President, Oliver North, recently offered his theory for the spate of school shootings in this country, blaming “a culture of violence“ and the drug methylphenidate (Ritalin). “If you look at what has happened to the young people, many of these young boys have been on Ritalin since they were in kindergarten,” North said. 1
As a psychiatrist, I partly agree with North: there are cultural factors in the U.S. that may increase the risk for aggression or violence — including but not limited to bullying, gangs, and substances of abuse. But Col. North is way off base in blaming Ritalin for school s...
Source: World of Psychology - May 24, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Ronald Pies, M.D. Tags: ADHD and ADD Anger Children and Teens Disorders Medications Mental Health and Wellness Psychiatry Stimulants Treatment Violence and Aggression Adderall Child Development drug myths mass shooting Methylphenidate myths about AD Source Type: blogs
Initial study finds promise and limitations in using virtual reality (VR) to treat ADHD
In conclusion, while I commend the authors for this initial effort to examine the use of VR in ADHD treatment, there is much work remaining to establish whether this a viable approach. Taking a cue from the VR treatments developed for anxiety disorders, where VR is used to expose clients to ‘environments’ that elicit anxiety, it may be fruitful to use a virtual classroom environment to train attention during more meaningful academic tasks. For example, it may be possible to combine neurofeedback with a virtual classroom to provide feedback to children on their attention level as the ‘teacher’ presents an actual les...
Source: SharpBrains - May 9, 2018 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. David Rabiner Tags: Attention and ADD/ADHD Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness Technology AD/HD-treatments anxiety attention-training behavior-therapy Cognitive-Training medication methylphenidate Neurofeedback psychiatric disorders Psyc Source Type: blogs
Seroquel, Atypical Antipsychotics for Insomnia, Dementia?
I’m a little dumb-founded whenever I run across a prescribing trend that goes against all of the available empirical evidence for common sense use of a medication. Nowhere is this more evident than with the prescription of atypical antipsychotic medications. It wouldn’t be too far a stretch to suggest that such prescriptions have become like Prozac prescriptions in the 1990s, the latest medication fad.
But atypical antipsychotics, like Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate), are far more complex with far more problematic side effects than drugs like Prozac, and should only be prescribed for on-label use.
The Washingto...
Source: World of Psychology - April 7, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Antipsychotic General Medications Policy and Advocacy Adverse Effects Atypical Antipsychotic Bipolar Disorder Insomnia movement disorder Seroquel side effects Weight Gain Source Type: blogs
From “Opioid Epidemic " to “Stimulant Epidemic”
Speaking at the National Rx Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, John Eadie, coordinator for the National Threat Initiative, warned, “We’re now facing a very significant stimulant epidemic.” Abuse of prescription stimulants such as Adderal and Ritalin (used to treat Attention Deficit Disorders) as well as illicit stimulants, like cocaine and methamphetamine, are surging. “No one is paying attention to this,” Eadie said, because the focus has been on opioids.Law enforcement has seized 15 kilograms of stimulants for every kilogram of heroin it has seized during the last 5 years. The Centers for Disease Control and...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - April 6, 2018 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer Source Type: blogs
Consistent use of ADHD medication may stunt growth by 2 inches, large study finds
Conclusions
Three broad conclusions can be drawn from this study.
First, there was substantial persistence of ADHD symptoms into adulthood. Although not mean youth with ADHD continue to struggle with ADHD as adults, this is not a condition that most children simply outgrow. Rather, it is likely to be a chronic condition that must be managed effectively over time. Keeping effective treatment in place over many years, while extremely challenging, may often be necessary.
Second, although the benefits of medication treatment on ADHD symptoms dissipate, the impact on adult stature persists. Consistent medication treatment throu...
Source: SharpBrains - March 16, 2018 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. David Rabiner Tags: Attention and ADD/ADHD Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness ADHD-symptoms ADHD-Treatment behavior-therapy Community Care medication-treatment MTA Study psychosocial stature Source Type: blogs
Consistent use of ADHD medication may stun growth by 2 inches, large study finds
Conclusions
Three broad conclusions can be drawn from this study.
First, there was substantial persistence of ADHD symptoms into adulthood. Although not mean youth with ADHD continue to struggle with ADHD as adults, this is not a condition that most children simply outgrow. Rather, it is likely to be a chronic condition that must be managed effectively over time. Keeping effective treatment in place over many years, while extremely challenging, may often be necessary.
Second, although the benefits of medication treatment on ADHD symptoms dissipate, the impact on adult stature persists. Consistent medication treatment throu...
Source: SharpBrains - March 16, 2018 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. David Rabiner Tags: Attention and ADD/ADHD Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness ADHD-symptoms ADHD-Treatment behavior-therapy Community Care medication-treatment MTA Study psychosocial stature Source Type: blogs
Lessons for the Opioid Epidemic from Meth
As the nation remains fixated on the opioid epidemic,methamphetamineismakingaresurgence. Meth is less expensive than heroin, and it isgaining users who fear opioid overdoses.Meth is not new; it burst onto the scene in the early 1990, as the crack epidemic waned. Synthesized from readily available chemicals, meth provided a cheaper, homemade alternative to other drugs. As use increased, legislators and law enforcement officials took note.The first major legislation targeting meth was the1996Comprehensive MethamphetamineControl Act. Passed unanimously by the Senate and by 386-34 in the House, the legislation required that...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - March 8, 2018 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey Miron Source Type: blogs
Don ’t ignore ADHD in adults
Eight-year-old Tommy has trouble paying attention in school, is always restless in class, unable to complete his tasks, hyperactive both in school and home and his teacher discusses the possibility of him having ADHD with his parents. They decide to take him to see a pediatric psychiatrist. After some analysis, he’s diagnosed with ADHD, prescribed with Ritalin and is on his way home with his medicine. Classic childhood ADHD story, right?
What happens to young Tommy 20 years down the road? Now, he is 28 years old, and it’s been some time since he stopped his medication because he no longer “needed it”...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - March 6, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/deenuka-kasinather" rel="tag" > Deenuka Kasinather, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
Charm in Quirky: Station North Arts District
By Steve St. Angelo The Station North Arts District is a collage—the many different Baltimores pasted into one nitty, gritty nutshell. It’s a concert—car horns, bus air brakes, and shouts and whispers about what’s come before and what’s coming next. It’s a movie—extremely colorful, but with stark black-and-white footage woven into the narrative of city
The post Charm in Quirky: Station North Arts District appeared first on Johns Hopkins Nursing Magazine. (Source: Nursing Blogs at Johns Hopkins University)
Source: Nursing Blogs at Johns Hopkins University - December 26, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Editor Tags: On the Pulse Quirky Baltimore art Joe Squared Parkway Theatre Red Emma's Station North theater Source Type: blogs
Psychology Around the Net: December 16, 2017
Has cabin fever struck you yet this winter?
Find out ways to beat it, plus the latest on a new scientist-created version of oxytocin, how orange light therapy might help mental illness symptoms, why global teamwork might be helpful for psychological studies, and more in this week’s Psychology Around the Net!
How to Beat Cabin Fever When You’re Stuck Inside This Winter: Try a couple — or all — of these ideas for combating cabin fever (or, in some of our cases, the funk that comes along with shorter days and less sunshine).
Can Teamwork Solve One Of Psychology’s Biggest Problems? Psychologist Chri...
Source: World of Psychology - December 16, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Alicia Sparks Tags: ADHD and ADD Anxiety and Panic Bipolar Health-related Medications Psychology Around the Net Research Schizophrenia Technology amphetamines Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder cabin fever Christopher Chartier Light therapy Source Type: blogs
It ’s time to stop prejudging your patients
Recently I had an interaction online with a physician regarding his thoughts on ADHD treatment. (Let’s call him Dr. Stigma). This post is not about doctor-bashing but more to point out the prevalence of stigma against those with a psychiatric diagnosis even from within the medical community. Stigma, unfortunately, is so indoctrinated into our culture that sometimes people don’t recognize the pure ugliness of their words.
Dr. Stigma’s comments:
Many patients use Ritalin and other stimulants to:
lose weight
“study” for college exams (“cramming”)
to go out and party (dance raves)
So, before you use Ritalin, ge...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 27, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/melissa-welby" rel="tag" > Melissa Welby, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Primary Care Psychiatry Source Type: blogs
5 things parents and teachers need to know about ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a childhood disorder that affects as many as one out of 10 children in the United States. Even though it’s fairly common, many misconceptions still persist. So here are five important things you should know if you are a parent or a teacher of a child with ADHD.
1. The hallmark symptoms of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Most kids are inattentive, impulsive, and hyperactive at times. But for a diagnosis of ADHD, these symptoms must interfere significantly in multiple places, such as at school and at home. This is a childhood disorder, meaning the symptoms m...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 27, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ellen Braaten, PhD Tags: Behavioral Health Brain and cognitive health Children's Health Mental Health Parenting Source Type: blogs
Top 25 Psychiatric Medications for 2016
Most people understand that the role of psychiatric medications is to help alleviate the symptoms associated with different types of mental disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia, anxiety, and more. Psychiatric medications are an important part of a comprehensive treatment plan for effectively treating people who have a mental health concern or mental illness.
It’s good to know what drugs are being most-often prescribed for mental disorders in the U.S. These are the top 25 psychiatric medications by number of U.S. prescriptions dispensed in 2016, according to QuintilesIMS, a global infor...
Source: World of Psychology - October 12, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: General Medications Psychiatry Treatment medications for mental illness Psychiatric Drugs Psychiatric Medications psychiatric meds top psychiatric medications Source Type: blogs
5 Must-Read Articles, and an Online Course, to Help Children with ADHD
—–
— Dr. David Rabiner, Research Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University and founder of the Attention Research Update.
Given the ongoing changes and controversies surrounding ADHD diagnosis and treatment, let us highlight 5 key articles written by Duke University’s Dr. David Rabiner to summarize recent scientific findings and their implications, plus a very relevant online course to help parents and professionals help children with ADHD.
1. Study finds large gaps between research and practice in ADHD diagnosis and treatment
Key insight: Evidence-based guideline...
Source: SharpBrains - June 21, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Attention and ADD/ADHD Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness ADHD-diagnosis ADHD-Treatment behavior management behavioral-therapy behavioral-treatment brain-development diet DSM DSM diagnostic crite Source Type: blogs
I Chose Not to Medicate My ADHD — Here ’s Why
A white room.
The day I was diagnosed, they brought me into a (not kidding) white room with a metal table. There was a machine at the head of the table. The machine kind of reminded me of a shrunken MRI scanner, but I didn’t have much of a chance to study it.
I laid down, and they put wires all over my head and my chest. The wires were gooey (“How am I going to get that out of my hair?”). Mom had kept me awake for most of the night, so when they told me to go to sleep, and I was out like a light. I was eight years old.
Mom had resisted getting me tested, despite my teachers pushing for it. I was easily distracted,...
Source: World of Psychology - June 13, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jordan Storz Tags: ADHD and ADD Alternative and Nutritional Supplements Children and Teens Medications Personal Students Success & Achievement Academic Achievement Attention Deficit Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Mood Swings Motivation Scho Source Type: blogs
