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Young people with ADHD are not only at increased risk of starting to smoke cigarettes, they also tend to become more seriously addicted to tobacco and more vulnerable to environmental factors such as having friends or parents who smoke, according to a study from Massachusetts General Hospital reseachers.

Parents of a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are nearly twice as likely to divorce by the time the child is 8 years old than parents of children without ADHD, the first study to look at this issue in depth has shown.

For children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tasks that require concentration such as doing homework or taking a test can be very difficult. A simple, inexpensive remedy may be a “dose of nature.

The quality of a child’s relationships and their diet are now known to be minor risk factors implicated in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Biological factors, including genetics, remain the most significant factor, however, so they must all be considered before treatment can begin.

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found once-daily VYVANSE significantly improved Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms in adults within the first week of treatment.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have found that treatment with stimulant drugs does not increase and appears to significantly decrease the risk that girls with ADHD will begin smoking cigarettes or using alcohol or drugs.

Stimulant medications like those often prescribed for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) raise blood pressure and heart rate, and some drugs carry warning labels for patients with heart problems.

People with fragile X syndrome, as well as those who carry the gene, are likely to have additional conditions that include attention problems and anxiety, according to a study by researchers at RTI International. The study, published in the Aug.

The late Richard D. Todd, Ph.D., M.D., is the recipient of the 2008 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Elaine Schlosser Lewis Award for Research on Attention-Deficit Disorder.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health have today (24 September 2008) published a guideline on the diagnosis and management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, young people and adults.