Some researchers around the world have been thinking about a different way to think about mental and neurological disorders. They have found that current diagnostic categories may not align with new genetic and neuroscience findings. A unique Ontario project, the province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders (POND) Network is studying multiple disorders at the same time looking for patterns that will lead to a better understanding of the underlying neurobiology. The hope is that this research will lead more effective treatments.
Researchers acknowledge that to date separating and classifying the disorders has helped them to distinguish between disorders and collect statistics aiding in the development of health strategies, but recent research into genetic mutations has been “the big poke in the eye, if you will – the thing that made it impossible to go any further,” he says.
Research found hundreds of possible mutations when looking at Autism, but also discovered that these mutations were not only seen in Autism, but also appeared in other neurodevelopmental disorders. Researchers now realize that there new goal is to figure out what is common among the disorders and what differs.
This new approach does not conduct separate studies but rather looks for traits. An excellent example is a recent study which looked at the ability of study participants with Autism, ADHD and OCD to read other people’s emotions by looking at their eyes. This has generally been thought to be an Autism trait, but researchers found the same trait in participants with ADHD. Therefore children with ADHD will also struggle with impaired social functioning.
Access the full article HERE
I was just interviewed about a recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. This study looked at data from 378,881 children, ages 4-17, from 1997 to 2011 in Taiwan and analyzed the percentage of children who were diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication. Researchers compared the percentage of children diagnosed from youngest to oldest in a particular grade and found the younger the child (born closer to the cut off for enrollment in that year) the greater chance they were diagnosed with ADHD and treated with medication. The data was consistent for this finding in pre-school and school age children, but not adolescence.
Several things struck me while reviewing the study and the researcher’s conclusions. Here are my comments;
The findings are important for medical professionals, educators and perhaps parents to take note of, as are most research findings;
If the child’s age and maturity may be in question further monitoring may be a first step,
Since professionals who diagnose ADHD are trained in child development, one would think varying rates in development should already be on their radar, but reminders never hurt;
While the data is of interest, conclusions should not be drawn too quickly;
Since we know that many factors such as, higher levels of intelligence, parental support and lack of hyperactivity, to name a few, can delay or prevent the diagnosis of ADHD even when it exists, perhaps the data may be indicating that the older the child (in that school year) the greater risk of being undiagnosed and untreated. The increased age and maturation level may be masking their ADHD symptoms.
Of further interest, is that these researchers give us significant insight into their bias with their statements, ”On the basis of the aforementioned studies, we conclude that the relative age among classmates affects the academic performance of children and their risk of receiving ADHD diagnosis and medication. Furthermore, clinicians should be reminded of the potential harm of overdiagnosing and overprescribing.”
Access more information on the study HERE
The title says it all. Access this great blog post in the Huffington Post by Dr. Diane McIntosh, psychiatrist and assistant clinical professor at the University of British Columbia Here.
If you have an interest in ADHD in females, how symptoms differ in girls, how we under diagnose and misdiagnose it and the consequences of this, you don't want to miss this recording. The interview features Anna, a every insightful 17 year old who was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 15, and Katherine Ellis, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who was diagnosed at 48 and has since then authored three books on ADHD, talking about their experiences. In addition, Dr. Doron Almagor, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and chair of CADDRA, shares his extensive medical knowledge on the subject of ADHD in girls. Access the interview Here.
Rick Green, who we all know and love, will be receiving the Order of Ontario on Wednesday January the 20th. The order of Canada is the province's highest official honour. It recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence and achievement benefiting the people of Ontario or anywhere in the world.
A gifted writer, director, producer and performer, and producer of the ground-breaking documentary ADD & Loving It?!, Rick has also become a mentor and Inspiration to millions of people living with adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Canada, and around the world. Like many adults, Rick was unaware of his ADHD until he was diagnosed at 47. Driven by his own experiences, and struggles with this hidden saboteur, he committed himself to addressing the stigma surrounding ADHD through education, understanding, and laughter.
The 2016 Investiture Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, January 20th with the presentation of the Order of Ontario at 4:00 p.m. This ceremony is available through
LiveStream: https://livestream.com/OntCitImm/2015orderofontario
This morning CADDAC and CADDRA sent out a Media Release on the issue of lack of adequate ADHD medication coverage under BC Pharmacare.
Since British Columbia is behind other provinces in providing a full range of medication treatment options for ADHD CADDAC, CADDRA and BC physicians have begun an advocacy campaign to let the BC government know that the current situation is seriously limiting treatment options for those accessing BC Pharmacare. Currently Ritalin and Dexadrine are the only medications for the treatment of individuals with ADHD fully covered by BC Pharmacare. Concerta is the only long-acting medication and it is restricted to Special Authority Request (only for the paediatric population after failing on Ritalin and Dexedrine).
Physicians with an interest in the treatment of ADHD are being asked to write letters expressing their concern. Please access BC Pharmacare Medication Coverage for more detailed information on the current situation, a copy of the latest letter sent to Minister Lake, and the BC Letter Writing Guide to assist physicians in writing and sending a letter to the BC government.
If you live in BC and this issue is of importance to you, we ask that you bring this advocacy campaign to your physician’s attention.
Week three and four of ADHD Awareness Month continued with an additional media interview, a piece in the Huffington Post and several community events.
Heidi was again interviewed about ADHD but this time the focus of the interview was on ADHD Myths and Truths. On October the 22nd at 11:30 am Winnipeg time Heidi Bernhardt spoke with Geoff Currier of CJOB. To listen access On Demand Fill in the audio date as October the 22nd and the time as 11am. You will need to listen to the first half hour before the interview comes up.
On October the 23rd Heidi travelled to Kingston and on the 24th presented three presentations, ADHD and Learning, ADHD and Emotional Regulation and ADHD and School Advocacy to an audience of parents. The interaction and enthusiasm of this audience which continued throughout the 5 hour session was much appreciated. We would like to thank the Kingston Parent ADHD Support group for organizing and hosting this event. The yellow VW beetle covered with ADHD Awareness messages sitting on the front lawn of the venue was an added bonus!
On October the 27th the Huffington Post published this article by Patricia Tomasi titled “ADHD Stigma Is So Prevalent Parents are Delaying Diagnosis”. The article features interviews with Heidi Bernhardt, Dr. Doron Almagor and several parents discussing the continued misunderstandings and stigma around ADHD.
Through the assistance of CADDRA another community event occurred on October the 28th in the Dr. Bruce Johnson Conference room at the Shoniker Clinic in Scarborough Ontario. There were two sessions, 10 to 10:30 and 1 to 1:30. The sessions tilted, Dispelling the Myths and Misinformation About ADHD were for the general public and medical professionals who wanted to learn more about ADHD..
Again this year Durham Ontario is hosting an ADHD Community Expo. This year the expo will be occurring on November the 4th at 6pm at Sir John A Macdonald Public School, 777 Balaton Avenue, Pickering Ontario. The guest presenter will be Dr. Larry Danilewitz a Durham District School Board psychologist. Community resource booths and a parent panel will also take place. To register and for more information contact timm_karen@durham.edu.on.ca
As ADHD Awareness Month comes to a close it is important to remember that misinformation, misunderstandings and stigma around ADHD continues to exist. Awareness about ADHD needs to continue through the entire year if we hope to make lasting changes in how ADHD is perceived and how those with the disorder are understood and treated. Keep up the effort!
Week two of ADHD Awareness Month continued with more media interviews, events and awareness building, all made possible due to the efforts of ADHD groups across the country.
On October the 9th the province of Nova Scotia officially proclaimed October as ADHD Awareness Month. This was made possible thanks to three years of relentless effort by Keith Gelhorn and the ADHD Nova Scotia Action Group. View Here
On October the 13th Heidi Bernhardt was interviewed on CHEX TV, Peterborough Ontario. The topics ranged from why we no longer use the term ADD, typical symptoms, who we miss diagnosing, symptoms in the elementary and post-secondary setting and CADDAC’s new paper on ADHD in the Post-secondary setting. View the interview Here
Also brought to you by the ADHD Nova Scotia Action Group, on October the 14th from 5 to 8pm, at the Nova Scotia Community College, the Nova Scotia ADHD Awareness Expo occurred with 30-35 vendors including psychology offices, a pharmacy, Sleep experts, multiple non-profits, tutoring services, mental health services, professional organizers, and nutritionists.
On October the 14th the city of Edmonton lit their high level bridge green and purple to celebrate ADHD Awareness Week. This was organized by the ADHD Association of Greater Edmonton. More information Here
Heidi Bernhardt was interviewed by Daniele Smith on QR77 in Calgary at 3:30 on October the 15th. Listen to the interview Here . The date and time of the interview was October 15th, 2015 at around 13:45.
During the weekend of October 16th to the 19th ADHD medical professionals will be meeting in Vancouver for the 11th annual CADDRA conference. The three days include a research day highlighting and networking our Canadian researchers, and two days of conference presentations covering the latest in world-wide ADHD research and clinical practice up-dates. The CADDAC post-secondary paper will be distributed to attendees and covered in one of the presentations.
Two ADHD media posts I viewed today demonstrate some examples of the right and the horribly wrong ways to deal with children with ADHD. A recent study out of the University of Buffalo shows that praise of the potential for rewards improves the performance of children with ADHD on certain cognitive tasks. Prior to this it was not known if increased motivation accounted for this improvement or if children with ADHD scored lower than other children on these tests so had more room for improvement. This study indicated that increased external motivation is a critical factor in improving the performance of children with ADHD. Positive reinforcement, rather than punishment is the corner stone of behaviour therapy for children with ADHD. The study looked at whether children with ADHD have an increased sensitivity to external motivation and found that this was indeed the case. This would make perfect sense when taking into consideration Russell Barkley’s information on Executive Functioning impairment and the role it plays in self-regulation and motivation.
On the other hand, it seems that many uninformed people still believe that negative consequences are the way to improve the behaviour of children with ADHD. In the news last night and in several posts today including the Huffington Post you can view a very disturbing video of a Sherriff’s deputy placing handcuffs on the biceps of an 8 year old as a consequence of misbehaving in class. Apparently this has happened before and a lawsuit has now been launched.
Mental Health Awareness Week kicked off last Monday and ran through the week until Sunday, May 10th.
This important initiative through the Canadian Mental Health Association encourages individuals to learn, talk about, reflect on, and engage others on issues related to mental health and mental illness.
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is one of those illness that continues to be lost in a haze of social stigmas and lack of understanding.
Too often we hear a friend, relative, or co-worker joke about “having ADHD,” lending support to the argument that ADHD is simply the new fad diagnosis used to explain away the days where we find it difficult to concentrate. But for over a million Canadians who are directly affected by this illness, ADHD is no laughing matter.
It’s time ADHD is seen for what it really is: a complex, multifaceted, often life-long mental health disorder that significantly impacts people’s lives, the lives of those closest to them, and society as a whole.
Hence, here are some important things you need to know about ADHD:
ADHD, a medical neurobiological disorder, is a serious and wide-spread mental health issue impacting more than one million Canadians. As the most common childhood mental health condition worldwide, ADHD impacts one to two children in every Ontario classroom, and later on, four out of every 100 employees in the province.
ADHD increases the risk of suicidal ideation and behaviours, and commonly occurs alongside other mental health illnesses like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Physicians treating patients with ADHD are aware that monitoring for these symptoms is critical to ensuring the safety of ADHD patients, and watch closely during screening and assessment processes.
Health Canada recently announced that clearer warnings about the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours will be included in the prescribing information for ADHD medications, while also underscoring that there is no proof that ADHD medications cause these symptoms, and that the benefits of taking ADHD medications continue to outweigh potential risks. This announcement does, however highlight the importance for those with ADHD to be aware and continue to have proper monitoring by their physicians.
A shocking 90 per cent of adults with ADHD remain untreated and those who suffer from the illness are more likely to be impacted by injury and motor vehicle accidents, substance abuse, or jail time. In children, ADHD significantly increases the risk of high school dropout.
Taking into account the direct health, education, and justice-related costs, the cost of illness of ADHD for Canadians is over $7 billion, exceeding the cost of major depressive disorders.
In most cases ADHD is not preventable, but when managed properly, those with ADHD can lead happy, successful, and fulfilling lives.
Effective management of ADHD requires multi-modal treatment, the first being patient, parent, and teacher education and awareness. Treatment options to ensure success with ADHD patients include a variety of psychosocial treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, coaching, behaviour strategies, specialized tutoring, ADHD medication, regular follow-up visits with a trained medical practitioner, and special educational accommodations.
The more seriously we take ADHD the more likely it is we can help children have better outcomes and grow up to reach their full potential. It’s time to stop kidding around and start taking this critical mental health issue more seriously.
If you’re curious to find out more information on ADHD’s socioeconomic impacts, you can read CADDAC’s Policy Paper, “Paying Attention to the Cost of ADHD: The Price Paid by Canadian Families, Governments and Society” here.
