Tag Archives: ADHD

Rethinking ADHD: Misconceptions and Their Implications.

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Is There Life on Mars?

The Perseverance rover from NASA has uncovered unusual leopard spot-like formations on rocks, suggesting potential evidence of ancient microbial life. Scientists consider this discovery to be the strongest and most definitive indication that life may have existed on Mars.

Erratic Weather Patterns

Sudden shifts in weather can lead to severe repercussions. Weather trends are swinging between extremes more rapidly and with greater frequency than ever before.

Experiencing Lucid Dreams

Imagine being able to slip into a lucid dream every night, where everything feels vivid and you have complete control—even the ability to fly. While there are techniques to master this skill yourself, researchers are also innovating technology that could unleash tremendous new experiences.

Breathing Techniques for Better Health

Breathing is often an automatic function, but consciously practicing deep breathing can offer numerous health benefits. Here’s what you need to know to enhance your well-being from the comfort of your couch (or bed!).

Additionally

  • A Key Tool in Combating Depression: Depression is a common affliction, and researchers are continually exploring quicker and more cost-effective treatment methods. Could the nutritional supplements favored by bodybuilders and athletes hold the key?
  • Artificial Intelligence: How much further can AI evolve, or has it already reached its peak?
  • Q&A: I have addressed your queries. This month features a thrilling topic: Are psychopaths born or made? What’s the most chilling experiment we’ve conducted? Which organs can we live without? Can animals detect death? What is the foulest smell in existence? Can you get a phone signal on the moon? Should I store my car keys in a Faraday box? Am I alexithymic? Should I start using rosemary scents? Plus more…

Issue 425 Releases on Tuesday, October 14, 2025

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Why Hidden ADHD Often Reemerges in Women During Adulthood

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There’s a noticeable increase in ADHD diagnoses among women experiencing menopause and postmenopause. This is likely due to a mix of hormonal changes and improved awareness. ADHD manifests differently in women.

The hormonal shifts during menopause impact both reproductive health and brain chemistry, with estrogen and progesterone levels undergoing significant fluctuations.

As estrogen decreases, women often struggle to manage pre-existing ADHD symptoms, leading to issues like poor attention and emotional instability.

Symptoms that were once manageable may intensify, prompting women to seek help.

However, hormones aren’t the sole factor. Increased awareness of ADHD also plays a vital role. Traditionally viewed as a “childhood disorder,” ADHD was primarily identified through hyperactivity and disruptive behaviors.

Women often exhibit more nuanced symptoms that can be overlooked or attributed to other issues like forgetfulness or anxiety.

In recent times, clinicians and the general public are increasingly adept at identifying ADHD in women, thanks in part to the widespread awareness generated by social media and advocacy efforts. This may account for the rise in overall ADHD diagnoses, particularly in women during menopause.

For many women, menopause offers a moment of introspection, encouraging them to connect past challenges with ADHD.

The interplay of hormonal changes and heightened awareness makes this a crucial time for women seeking diagnosis and support.

Though this life stage may seem overwhelming, with appropriate treatment and guidance, women can reclaim control and find joy during this transformative phase.

This article addresses the question (posed by Cathy Davy via email): “Why are more menopausal women diagnosed with ADHD?”

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

ADHD Medications Lower the Risk of Crimes, Substance Abuse, and Accidents

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ADHD symptoms can be effectively managed through medication and therapy

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A study involving 150,000 participants in Sweden found that individuals using medications to control their symptoms face a diminished risk of suicidal behavior, criminal charges, substance misuse, accidental injuries, and traffic incidents. Prior research supports this, yet the team behind this latest study claims it’s the most substantial evidence available to date.

“This represents the best methodology, akin to a randomized trial,” states Zheng Chang from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

When considering medications for ADHD management, the wider impact of avoiding these treatments might not be fully recognized, according to Samuelle Cortese from the University of Southampton, UK. He suggests parents often become preoccupied with immediate academic challenges but should also consider potential long-term outcomes.

“Neglecting ADHD can be risky,” he emphasizes. “Current evidence indicates that treatment lowers these risks.”

Individuals with ADHD frequently struggle with attention and exhibit impulsivity. Randomized controlled trials indicate that medications are effective in handling immediate symptoms.

Such trials involve randomly assigning individuals to either receive treatment or not, regarded as the gold standard in medical research. However, no randomized studies have yet evaluated the broader effects of ADHD medications, forcing researchers to rely on observational studies, which do not definitively prove that medication leads to noted behavioral changes.

Recently, Chang, Cortese, and their team executed a method known as target trial emulation. They utilized Swedish medical and legal records to compare patients who began ADHD medication promptly after diagnosis with those who delayed.

The results indicated that those using ADHD medications were 25% less likely to face criminal charges or experience substance problems. They also recorded a 16% reduction in traffic accident involvement, a 15% lower risk for suicide attempts, and a 4% decrease in accidental injuries.

“Understanding if medication can influence daily life beyond mere symptom alleviation is invaluable,” stated Adam Guastella during an interview with the UK Science Media Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. “This knowledge will also assist governments and policymakers in recognizing the potential societal benefits of comprehensive care, including mental health and criminal justice outcomes.”

If you need someone to talk to, please reach out: UK Samaritans: 116123 (samaritans.org); US 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988 (988lifeline.org). Find more helplines at bit.ly/suicidehelplines for other regions.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Misleading Ideas: AI-Written ADHD Books on Amazon | Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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Amazon offers books from individuals claiming to provide expert advice on managing ADHD, but many of these appear to be generated by AI tools like ChatGPT.

The marketplace is filled with AI-generated works that are low-cost and easy to publish, yet often contain harmful misinformation. Examples include questionable travel guidebooks and mushroom foraging manuals promoting perilous practices.

Numerous ADHD-related books on online stores also appear to be AI-authored. Titles like Navigating Male ADHD: Late Diagnosis and Success and Men with Adult ADHD: Effective Techniques for Focus and Time Management exemplify this trend.

The Guardian examined samples from eight books using Originality.ai, a US company that detects AI-generated content. Each book received a 100% AI detection score, indicating confidence that it was authored by a chatbot.

Experts describe the online marketplace as a “wild west” due to the absence of regulations on AI-generated content, increasing the risk that dangerous misinformation may proliferate.

Michael Cook, a computer science researcher at King’s College London, noted that generative AI systems often dispense hazardous advice, including topics related to toxic substances and ignoring health guidelines.

“It’s disheartening to see more AI-authored books, particularly in health-related fields,” he remarked.

“While Generative AI systems have been trained on medical literature, they also learn from pseudoscience and misleading content,” said Cook.

“They lack the ability to critically analyze or accurately replicate knowledge from their training data. Supervision from experts is essential when these systems address sensitive topics,” he added.

Cook further indicated that Amazon’s business model encourages this behavior, profiting on every sale regardless of the reliability of the content.

Professor Shannon Vallar, director of the Technology Futures Centre at the University of Edinburgh, stated that Amazon carries an ethical responsibility to avoid promoting harmful content, although she acknowledged that it’s impractical for a bookstore to monitor every title.

Issues have emerged as AI technology has disrupted traditional publishing safeguards, including author and manuscript reviews.

“The regulatory environment resembles a ‘wild west’, lacking substantial accountability for those causing harm,” Vallor noted, incentivizing a “race to the bottom.”

Currently, there are no legal requirements for AI-authored books to be labeled as such. The Copyright Act only pertains to reproduced content, but Vallor suggested that the Tort Act should impose essential care and diligence obligations.

The Advertising Standards Agency states that AI-authored books cannot mislead readers into believing they were human-written, and individuals can lodge a complaint regarding these titles.

Richard Wordsworth sought to learn about his recent ADHD diagnosis after his father recommended a book he found on Amazon while searching for “Adult Men and ADHD.”

“It felt odd,” he remarked after diving into the book. It began with a quote from psychologist Jordan Peterson and spiraled into a series of incoherent anecdotes and historical inaccuracies.

Some of the advice was alarmingly harmful, as Wordsworth noticed, particularly a chapter on emotional dysregulation warning friends and family not to forgive past emotional harm.

When he researched the author, he encountered AI-generated headshots and discovered a lack of qualifications. Further exploration of other titles on Amazon revealed alarming claims about his condition.


He felt “upset,” as did his well-educated father. “If he could fall prey to this type of book, anyone could. While Amazon profits, well-meaning individuals are being misled by profit-driven fraudsters,” Wordsworth lamented.

An Amazon spokesperson stated: “We have content guidelines that govern the listing of books for sale, and we implement proactive and reactive measures to detect violations of these guidelines.

“We continually enhance our protections against non-compliant content, and our processes and guidelines evolve as publishing practices change.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Misinformation abounds in popular TikTok videos about ADHD

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Health information about Tiktok can be misleading

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More than half of the claims made in the popular Tiktok video regarding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not in line with clinical guidelines.

ADHD affects Approximately 1% According to the global burden of disease research, people all over the world. There is a positive debate about whether ADHD is underdiagnosed. Some psychologists say there can be a substantial proportion of people who have it.

To understand the impact of social media on ADHD perceptions, Vasileia Karasavva The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, and her colleagues watched the 100 most viewed videos on Tiktok on January 10, 2023 using the hashtag #ADHD.

The average video included three claims about ADHD. The researchers presented their own claims to two psychologists. He was asked if it accurately reflected the symptoms of ADHD from DSM-5, a popular textbook used to diagnose mental disorders. Only 48.7% of the claims met that requirement. More than two-thirds of the video attributed ADHD to the problems that psychologists said were reflecting “normal human experiences.”

“We asked two experts to watch the top 100 most popular videos, and we found that they didn't really match the empirical literature,” says Karasavva. “We're like, 'OK, this is the problem.' ”

The researchers asked psychologists to rate the video on a scale of 0-5. We then asked 843 UBC students to describe the videos evaluated by psychologists as five best and five worst ADHDs, and then rated them before rating them. Psychologists earned a more clinically accurate video on an average of 3.6, while students rated it at 2.8. In the least-savvy video, students gave an average score of 2.3 compared to 1.1 from psychologists.

Students were also asked whether they would recommend video and their perception of the prevalence of ADHD in society. “The amount of time you watched ADHD-related content on Tiktok has increased your chances of recommending videos and identifying them as useful and accurate,” says Karasavva.

“They are the ones who wonder how common the outcomes are for Tiktok or all the health content on the internet.” David Ellis At the University of Bath, UK. “We live in a world where we know a lot about health, but the online world is still full of misinformation. Tiktok only reflects that reality to us.”

Ellis says that medical misinformation is likely to be even higher given mental health issues, as diagnosis is based on observation rather than more objective testing.

However, banning ADHD videos on Tiktok is “no use.” Even if it's misinformation, Karasavva says. “Maybe more experts should put out more videos, or maybe it's just that they're doing it for themselves because they're a little more discernible and critical of the content they consume,” she says.

Thichtok declined to comment on the details of the study, New Scientist Anyone who takes action against medical misinformation and seeks advice on neurological conditions should contact a medical professional.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Microdosing LSD does not effectively treat ADHD

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Can microdosing psychedelics focus on the mind?

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Taking small repeated doses of the psychedelic drug LSD does not reduce ADHD symptoms more than placebo.

Microdosing psychedelic drugs involve taking them several times a week in small amounts, sufficient to avoid experiencing hallucinations. There is little evidence to support this, but there is a broad view that this can increase happiness, creativity and focus. Additionally, some studies have reported that people who microdose as a way to treat ADHD have improved symptoms, but these studies have been observed and rely on self-reported data.

To more rigorously test the effects of drugs on ADHD, Matthias Liechti The University of Basel, Switzerland and his colleagues conducted the first randomized controlled trial of LSD microdoshing for ADHD. They recruited 53 adults living in the Netherlands or Switzerland who had been diagnosed with ADHD and experienced moderate to severe symptoms. Twenty-seven participants received 20 mirogram doses of LSD twice a week at the upper microodour limit, yet only a fifth of the standard dose, while the rest were given a placebo.

Symptoms of ADHD were assessed at the start of the study and were assessed 6 weeks later using a 54-point scale. On average, participants receiving the placebo had an average score reduction of approximately 7 percentage points. This is not a major difference, suggesting that LSD is better than a placebo for improving ADHD symptoms, says Liechti.

However, he says the dosage may have been unsuitable for treating ADHD. LSD, similar to how ADHD medications currently work, may need to be taken daily to experience a reduction in symptoms, he says Conor Murray At the University of California, Los Angeles.

“We still need to check if there is an acute dose while the drug is in your body – does it alleviate the symptoms?” Murray says. “It's kind of the first step, if not, you rarely even have to ask if there's a permanent change.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Common Painkillers During Pregnancy Linked to Increased Risk of ADHD in Children

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Microscopic view of paracetamol crystals

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Children who used paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, during their mother’s pregnancy, are more likely to develop ADHD than those whose mothers do not, suggesting small studies. Although inconclusive, this finding gives weight to the contested idea that widely used painkillers can affect fetal brain development.

Previous studies on paracetamol and neurodevelopmental conditions provide conflicting findings. For example, a 2019 study linking over 4,700 children and their mothers with their mothers to use painkillers during pregnancy There is a 20% higher risk Children developing ADHD. However, the analysis presented by nearly 2.5 million children last year There is no such connection When comparing siblings who were exposed or not to paracetamol before birth.

One problem is that most of these studies rely on self-reported medication use. This is a serious limitation as you may not remember taking paracetamol during pregnancy. For example, only 7% of participants in the 2019 study reported using paracetamol during pregnancy. It's well below the 50% seen in other studies. “A lot of people take it [paracetamol] Without knowing that” Brennan Baker At Washington University in Seattle. “It could be the active ingredient in some of the cold medicines you're using, and you don't necessarily know.”

So Baker and his colleagues used more accurate metrics instead. They looked for medication markers in blood samples collected from 307 women. They were all black and lived in Tennessee in the late pregnancy. None of them were taking medication due to chronic illnesses and were unaware of the complications of pregnancy. The researchers then followed up with participants when the child was 8 to 10 years old. In the US, Approximately 8% of children I have ADHD between the ages of 5 and 11.

On average, children whose mothers had a marker of paracetamol in their blood were three times more likely than children born to mothers, even after adjusting for factors such as mother's age and body mass index before pregnancy. There was a possibility (BMI), mental health status among close relatives of socioeconomic status and mental health. This suggests that using paracetamol during pregnancy may increase the risk of developing ADHD in children.

However, it is also possible that the actual factor that increases your risk of ADHD is not the drug itself, but the first thing you will be taking paracetamol. “They couldn't explain anything like the reason why their mother took it. [paracetamol]”It has been found to be risk factors for adverse development in children, such as headaches, fever, pain and infectious diseases.” Viktor Ahlqvist At the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

But Baker believes that it is the drugs that are responsible. Subsequent analysis of tissue samples from 174 of participants' placenta showed that people using paracetamol have different metabolic and immune system changes. These changes are similar to those seen in studies testing the effects of paracetamol in pregnant animals without infection or underlying health conditions.

“I think the fact that we see immune upregulation in animal models also really strengthens the causal case,” Baker says. “There are many previous studies showing that elevated immune activation during pregnancy is linked to adverse neurodevelopment.”

Yet these findings are far from conclusive. For one thing, the study included a small number of participants, all black and lived in the same city, limiting the generalization of the findings. Another case, it measured only the blood markers of paracetamol at one moment. These markers have stuck for about three days, so the study probably captured more frequent users, and may have a dose-dependent effect, says Baker.

“[Paracetamol] Now is the first-line treatment option for pain and fever during pregnancy,” says Baker. “But I think I'm an agency [US Food and Drug Administration] In addition, various obstetric and gynecological associations should continuously review all available research and update their guidance. ”

Meanwhile, if it's unclear whether to take paracetamol during pregnancy, people should talk to their doctor, Baker says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may have developed to aid hunter-gatherers in gauging when to stop investing in unproductive pursuits

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Early hunter-gatherers faced with food shortages may have benefited from the impulsivity associated with ADHD

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Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have evolved in hunter-gatherer societies because it was an advantage for them, according to the results of a new study. Characteristics commonly associated with the disease, such as impulsivity, cause some foragers to move from areas where resources are depleted to areas with richer harvests faster than areas without the disease. It could have been something like this.

ADHD affects people's behavior, which can result in them acting impulsively and having trouble concentrating. Although its exact cause is not fully understood, the condition tends to run in families.

Its origins are similarly unknown, he says. Arjun Ramakrishnan At the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. “Is it a remnant of the hunter-gatherer world?”

To explore this, Ramakrishnan, david barak Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania recruited 506 people in the United States to play an online foraging game. Players were instructed to collect as many berries as possible in 8 minutes by moving their cursor over the bush.

They were given the choice of staying in the bush or trying their luck in another bush that might have more or less fruit. Moving to a new bush also resulted in a short timeout, so players had to balance the chance of getting more berries with the time lost by moving.

Before playing the game, participants completed a questionnaire assessing whether they had symptoms of ADHD, such as difficulty concentrating or restlessness.

People with ADHD symptoms spent about four seconds hovering over a particular bush compared to those without symptoms, and as a result, the former group collected an average of 521 berries. However, I was able to collect 602 berries.

The findings suggest that selective pressures faced by early hunter-gatherer societies, such as lack of food and other resources, may have driven the evolution of ADHD. There may have been some foraging situations in which it was better to stay than move on, but Barak said this tendency to leave could have been an advantage in some scenarios.

“Humans and other apes are very sophisticated foragers, but like almost all other animals, we tend to stay in our plots too long and harvest too much in our fields.” he says. “Therefore, starting action early may be beneficial to reduce over-harvesting, and this may be where the impulsive characteristics of ADHD come in handy.”

Although many people around the world are no longer looking for food, situations still exist where similar decision-making processes occur. If a person is studying for an exam, he may start by looking at one resource. If it doesn't help you understand the topic, Barak says, you may quickly switch to another resource, which may be more efficient and helpful.

“Although it is difficult to determine exactly how ADHD-related behaviors were adaptive in past environments, we find that people with and without ADHD show measurable differences in foraging strategies. In that sense, these results are convincing,” says Dr. Dan Eisenberg at the University of Washington in Seattle.

but Annie Swanepoel North East London NHS Foundation Trust said it did not reflect the scarcity of resources experienced by many of the early hunter-gatherers, as foraging operations produced abundant berry crops.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

ADHD Medication Errors in US Children Skyrocket with Alarming 300% Jump

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Medication errors in children with ADHD have increased dramatically, with the majority occurring at home and involving males between the ages of 6 and 12, a study has found. Enhanced education and improved medication management are needed to reduce these errors. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Experts call for patient and caregiver education and the development of improved dosing and tracking systems that are tolerable in children.

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. In 2019, nearly 10% of children in the United States were diagnosed with ADHD. Currently, about 3.3 million children in the United States, or about 5 in 100 children, are prescribed her ADHD medication.

Increase in ADHD medication errors

In a new study recently published in the journal Pediatricsresearchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center, investigated the characteristics and characteristics of out-of-hospital ADHD medication errors reported to U.S. poison centers from 2000 to 2021 in people under age 20. We investigated trends.

According to the study, the annual number of ADHD-related medication errors increased by 299% from 2000 to 2021. During the study period, 87,691 medication error incidents involving ADHD medications as the primary substance in this age group were reported to U.S. poison centers. An average of 3,985 individuals are born per year. In 2021 alone, he was reported for 5,235 medication errors, which equates to 1 child for every 100 minutes he received. The overall trend was that males accounted for 76% of medication errors and the 6-12 year age group accounted for 67% of medication errors. Approximately 93% of exposures occurred in the home.

Common medication error scenarios

Among medication errors involving ADHD medications as the primary substance, the most common scenarios include:

  • 54% – “I accidentally took or administered my medication twice.”
  • 13% – “I accidentally took or gave someone else’s medication.”
  • 13% – “I took/administered the wrong medication.”

“The increase in the number of reported medication errors is consistent with the findings of other studies that have reported an increase in the number of ADHD diagnoses among children in the United States over the past two decades, which reflects the use of ADHD medications. “It is likely associated with an increase in

Health effects and prevention strategies

In 83% of cases, the person was not receiving treatment in a health facility. However, 2.3% of cases were admitted to a health care facility, of which 0.8% were admitted to a critical care unit. Additionally, 4.2% of cases were associated with serious medical outcomes. Some children experienced agitation, tremors, seizures, and changes in mental status. Children under 6 years of age were twice as likely to experience a serious medical outcome and more than three times as likely to be admitted to a health care facility compared to children aged 6 to 19 years.

“Because medication errors in ADHD are preventable, more attention needs to be paid to educating patients and caregivers and developing improved medication and tracking systems that are resistant to children,” said the study’s senior author. said Center Director Gary Smith, MD, PhD. Contributes to injury research and policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Another strategy could be a move away from pill bottles to unit-dose packaging, such as blister packs, which could help people remember if a drug has already been taken or administered.”

Prevention efforts should focus on the home, but additional attention should also be paid to schools and other settings where children and adolescents spend time or receive medications.

References: “Pediatric ADHD Medication Errors Reported to U.S. Poison Centers from 2000 to 2021” Mikaela M. DeCoster, BS; Henry A. Spiller, MS, D.ABAT; Jaahnavi Badeti, MPH, BDS. Marcel J. Casavant, MD. Natalie I. Rein, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP. Dr. Nicole L. Michaels. Motao Zhu, MD, MS, PhD. Gary A. Smith, MD, PhD, September 18, 2023; Pediatrics.
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-061942

Data for this study were obtained from the National Poison Data System (NPDS) maintained by the American Poison Centers (formerly the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC)). Poison Centers receive calls through the National Poison Helpline (1-800-222-1222) and document and report information to NPDS about the product, route of exposure, exposed individuals, exposure scenario, and other data.

Source: scitechdaily.com