Adults with ADHD who pursue postsecondary education may run into a lot of frustrations and roadblocks.

Eli Lilly, the makers of Strattera, have announced the 2006 ‘Focus on Your Possibilities Scholarship Program’. This is a program which is set up to provide financial support (up to $5000) to allow an adult with ADHD (25 years old +) to continue on with his or her education.

This is a tremendous initiative to support adults with ADHD to develop their strengths, and to continue on in college or university.

The program has a deadline of October 15, 2006, and you can read all of the details here.

To read about last year’s winners, click here.

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It is known that ADHD affects people in all countries, and of all cultures. However, the level of awareness, knowledge and treatment varies significantly between cultures. There is relatively little recognition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in India, and there are few reliable statistics about the rate of diagnosis there.

This week, the President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, participated in a book release about ADHD. The book, entitled: ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, is authored by Parvathy Viswanath. Viswanath is the founder and director of the AIKYA Special School.

I am thrilled to hear that an Indian expert is providing more information to people in India about ADHD. I am also very impressed that the President of India, Abdul Kalam, participated in the release of this book. This type of high profile event will help people in India to understand and accept ADHD.

Information from an Indian expert is crucial to ensure that the information is culturally accurate, and discusses local resources and approaches.

Hopefully, this is a great step forward for the recognition and management of ADHD in India. To read a full article on this story, click here.

If you have any experience with ADHD in India, please post a comment below.

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On September 21, 2006, Health Canada announced that it is revising the labelling of all ADHD medications for a new warning - including rare events of: agitation and hallucinations in children.

Health Canada released the following press release to inform Canadians of their concerns.

This ADHD medication warning applies to all of the ADHD medications available in Canada, including: Ritalin, Ritalin SR, Dexedrine, Dexedrine Spansule, Concerta, Adderall XR, Biphentin, Attenade, and Strattera.

The Health Canada report says:

“ADHD drugs are generally safe and provide benefits for Canadians in their treatment of ADHD when used as directed. Decisions about taking any of these drugs indicated for ADHD should be made in consultation with a physician.”

What does this mean to parents who are concerned about their children taking ADHD medications?

1. Do not stop ADHD medications without speaking to your child’s doctor.
2. If you have any concerns about whether your child should still be taking his/her ADHD medication in light of these warnings, contact your child’s doctor to review it.
3. Please remember that these are very rare side effects, and they will not affect the vast majority of children taking ADHD medicines.
4. If the medication is taken as prescribed the risk is very low.
5. If the medication is abused, then the risk of agitation and hallucinations is higher.
6. If your child has a more complicated ADHD - i.e. with a comorbid bipolar disorder, then there may be a higher risk of these side effects. Talk to your doctor to discuss this if you are concerned.

In summary, this new warning should have little impact on the vast majority of the medication treatment of children with ADHD.

This warning underlines the importance of: proper diagnosis, taking medications as prescribed, and good communication between patients and their doctors.

If you have any concerns about your child’s ADHD medication, contact the prescribing doctor.

This article is not intended as medical advice, and is only intended for educational purposes.

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Recently, there have been a number of news articles about how lead and smoking during pregnancy may lead to ADHD. Here is one such article. While these findings are important, I want to put them into context.

The causes of ADHD have been studied extensively. While there is always room for further understanding and research, we have great knowledge now. An excellent new book on the causes of ADHD was recently published, and is the most comprehensive review of the research to date. It is called: What causes ADHD? Understanding What Goes Wrong and Why By Dr. Nigg.

The facts are that about 80% of the cause of ADHD is genetic, and 20% is acquired.

Genetic ADHD

Research has shown that ADHD clearly runs in families. Twin studies, family studies and now genetic research have clearly demonstrated the genetic link of ADHD. Geneticists have identified approximately 5 ‘candidate genes’ which can be an issue in ADHD.

When looking at the ‘heritability’ of a disorder, researchers look at what percentage of the cause of a disorder is due to genetics.

Here is a comparison of heritability of different medical conditions:
The heritability of breast cancer: 30%
The heritability of asthma: 40%
The heritability of height: 85%
The hertitability of ADHD: 80%

So, ADHD clearly runs in families, and genetics account for about 80% of the known cause.

What accounts for the other 20%?

Acquired Causes of ADHD

After we account for the genetic causes of ADHD, there are several acquired causes.

The acquired causes can be broken down into Prenatal (i.e. before birth), and Postnatal (after birth).

Prenatal Causes of ADHD:

Prenatal causes of ADHD include the events that happen while the mother is pregnant. They include:

1. Maternal smoking during pregnancy (2.5 x risk)
2. Maternal drinking alcohol during pregnancy (same risk)
3. Prematurity of birth (especially if brain bleeds - 45% have ADHD)
4. Overall increase in pregnancy complications

Postnatal causes of ADHD:

Postnatal causes of ADHD are the events that occur after birth. They include:

1. Head injury
2. Brain hypoxia (i.e. lowered oxygen to the brain)
3. Brain tumor
4. Brain infection
5. Lead poisoning in preschool years (0-3 yrs old)
6. Survival from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (’ALL’ - the treatments cause ADHD)

Where does the quoted study fall into this information?

As is always the case in science, new studies help to replicate old findings, and carry the information forward. This study reiterates the risks of smoking and lead exposure, and moves our understanding forward in this regard.

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Ty Pennington, the host of Extreme Home Makeover, shares his personal experience with ADHD.

He shares that he was diagnosed with ADHD at 17 years old, and that effective treatment of his ADHD has transformed his life.

I am including Ty’s video in my blog, because I want you to be able to show this video to your kids, your teens, or anyone with ADHD who is having trouble accepting it, dealing with it, or feeling that they can succeed with it. Ty Pennington is creating a great example for everyone with ADHD out there.

Enough of my talking, let’s let Ty tell you himself:

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I am using this post to bring you a technical video on how the Daytrana patch works.

Daytrana is a new ‘transdermal’ patch - meaning that it delivers the medication for ADHD through the skin. This is very helpful for children who cannot swallow pills, but are benefiting from their ADHD medication.

The active medicine in Daytrana is methylphenidate. Methylphenidate is the same medication as: Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, and Biphentin. Sometimes people actually call the patch the ‘ritalin patch’.

This video shows you how the patch actually works - and how it delivers medication.

Enjoy!

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When the diagnostic criteria for ADHD were created, they were largely written based on studies of 6-12 year old boys.

This leads to the fact that many of the diagnostic criteria do not apply very well to adults, or girls. For example, not many adults with ADHD ‘run or climb excessively’.

There is a need to improve the diagnostic criteria to suit girls and adults.

This article will help adults to understand the diagnostic criteria. It will summarize the ADHD symptoms in children, and the way that these symptoms show up in adults. The descriptions of adult ADHD symptoms are from research published by Dr. Weiss, Dr. L. Hechtman, and Dr. M. Weiss.

Symptoms of inattention in kids:

• Difficulty sustaining attention
• Doesn’t listen
• No follow through
• Can’t organize
• Loses important items
• Easily distractible, forgetful

Become these inattentive symptoms in adults:

• Difficulty sustaining attention - in meetings, reading, paperwork
• Paralyzing procrastination
• Slow, inefficient
• Poor time management
• Disorganized

Symptoms of hyperactivity in kids:

• Squirms and fidgets
• Can’t stay seated
• Runs/climbs excessively
• Can’t play/work quietly
• “On the go” / “Driven by motor”
• Talks excessively

Become these symptoms of hyperactivity in adults:

• Workaholic
• Overscheduled/overwhelmed
• Self-select very active job
• Constant activity leading to family tension
• Talks excessively

Symtoms of impulsivity in kids:

• Blurts out answers
• Can’t wait turn
• Intrudes/interrupts others

Become these symptoms of impulsivity in adults:

• Low frustration tolerance
• Quitting jobs
• Ending relationships
• Driving too fast
• Losing temper
• Addictive personality

It is important to note that impulsivity in adults can lead to more serious consequences then the impulsivity in children.

I hope that this article helps people to understand how ADHD symptoms show up in adults, so that more adults can recognize their own ADHD and seek a proper diagnosis and treatment if necessary.

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Ty Pennington - the likeable host of ‘Extreme Home Makeover’ has become a national spokesman for Shire, the maker of Adderall.

Ty shares that he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when he was younger. He also shares that he really benefits from taking Adderall to help with his ADHD.

Ty stepping forward is a wonderful development in the world of ADD/ADHD. While there are many famous people with ADHD, few speak about it publicly.

On September 20, 2006, Ty Pennington will be hosting an ‘Ask the ADHD experts’ day. This is an opportunity for people to call in and ask questions about ADHD from experts.

You can read about the event here

The website for the event is here.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about ADHD, and also to help raise awareness about ADHD - so share it with your friends, family, with staff at schools, mental health workers, etc.

Also, if you have kids with ADHD, make sure to watch Ty’s show - Extreme Home Makeover - at least once with your child. You will show them how someone has succeeded with his ADHD, and even uses his energy and enthusiasm to create a great show.

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Teenagers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two to four times more likely to be involved in car collisions than other drivers.

The data about driving and ADHD has been around for decades, and is a very important safety issue for teens and adults with ADHD.

Recently, more studies have been done to test medications which may help drivers with ADHD to maintain their attention to the road.

A study was recently published in the medical journal ‘Pediatrics’, which tested driving improvement for teens taking either Adderall XR or Concerta. The teens took either one of these medicines in the morning and then their driving was tested in the evening.

The study showed that the improvement in driving was significantly better with Concerta than with Adderall XR. The teens on Concerta had fewer inattentive and impulsive driving errors than those on Adderall XR.

You can read a more detailed review of the article here.

Do you have a story about ADHD and driving?

Please contribute your thoughts or comments by entering them below.

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What does this post have to do with ADHD?

It may seem that it doesn’t - but it does. I will answer that at the end of this article.
This post does have to do with supporting an outstanding cause.

I just came across the blog of ‘Dr. Mani’. He is a heart surgeon in India who uses his blog, and other techniques on the internet to raise awareness about congenital heart disease (i.e. heart disease that kids are born with).

He also raises money so that he can perform life saving heart surgery on poor children in India.

Every year, he does a 24 hour ‘blogathon’, where he updates his blog every 30 minutes for 24 hours. This is to raise money.

It is going on today.

Can you help out?

width=110 height=110 vspace=”5″ border=0 alt=”Help Spread Congenital
Heart Defects Awareness”>

How can you help?

Step 1) Visit the site, and take a look around. Then visit Dr. Mani’s blog.
Step 2) Share the link with friends and family to help to carry Dr. Mani’s message across the net.
Step 3) If you are in a position to do so, please click on the ‘donate’ button. The reality is that if each of us donated the equivalent of a price of a coffee at Starbucks, we could save a child’s life.

I decided to post this on my ADHD blog, because I want to support a fellow doctor across the world to help children in need.

What does it have to do with ADHD?
In my experience, those of us who care about kids, teens and adults with ADHD are willing to ’support an underdog’. We are willing to open our hearts to help someone in need.

Dr. Mani is supporting kids who are the most in need, and here is an opportunity for us to help.

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