Research
Summary of the study: There was a significant decrease in heart rate and a significant increase in blood pressure five minutes after a dog was held by children with ADHD. However, teacher ratings of mood and behavior were not significant. The authors concluded that pet therapy for children with ADHD may actually increase excitement rather than [...]
Around 52 to 95% of children with autism are treated with complementary alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. A survey asked 539 physicians (90% of whom were pediatricians) about their practices and attitudes about CAM therapies for autism. The most encouraged CAM therapies: - Multivitamins 49% - Essential Fatty Acids 25% - Melatonin 25% - Probiotics 19% CAM [...]
Note that this study did not directly compare online therapy to face-to-face sessions. Rather, it compared online therapy with physician treatment to a group which received physician treatment but no therapy. While there is considerable debate as to whether online therapy is at par with face-to-face sessions, this is at least a step towards finding out [...]
A WebMD article states: Researchers found calls to poison control centers for adolescent ADHD prescription drug abuse increased out of proportion to other poison center calls in recent years, which suggests a growing problem with abuse of these stimulant drugs. The article also goes on to state that the study found that there was an increase [...]
A study found that the people that multitask the most are the least effective at it. It would be interesting to evaluate ADHD symptoms in the study sample, and see how it correlates with multitasking effectiveness. In the MSNBC.com article, Clifford Nass Ph.D. said, "Is multitasking causing them to be lousy at multitasking, or is their [...]
The Collaborative Multisite Multi-modal Treatment Study of Children With ADHD (MTA) study examined ADHD behavior outcomes of 579 children that were each enrolled in one of four forms of treatment: medication alone, behavioral intervention alone, behavioral intervention plus medication, and standard community care. After 14 months, the study subjects could then continue community care if they [...]
Continuous-performance tests (CPTs) are assessments that measure sustained attention, selective attention, and impulsivity. They can be used as part of an evaluation for ADHD. The "old school" CPTs use actual paper, pencil, and a stopwatch. The newer generation of CPTs were software applications that allowed the computer to keep track of variables. The latest CPTs use [...]
Young adults taking stimulant medication had significantly improved driving performance on a simulator compared to the placebo group. Also, it was found that there was no significant differences in driving performances between atomoxetine (Strattera, a non-stimulant) and placebo. ADHD rating scale scores were decreased by at least 30 percent in 80% of the group that took [...]
In a study by Yuksel, et al. (2008), children with moderate asthma had significantly higher scores than non-asthmatic children on the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-48 (CPRS), an ADHD rating scale. A study by Blackman & Gurka (2007) also found that children with asthma had a higher rate of ADHD. As severity of asthma symptoms increased, so did the [...]
In a study in the Archives of General Psychiatry, it was found that substance abuse was the most common mental disorder amongst college-age adults, with personality disorders coming in second. It was found that the most common personality disorder was obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Take into account the fact that many college students have some type of [...]