It’s not only children who are affected by ADHD
Duration: 1 hour 31 mins
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| Description: |
What causes ADHD? And how can it best be treated?
Hyperactive, impulsive, restless and fidgety… these are all behaviours many parents are very familiar with. But when does your child’s behaviour go from ‘normal’ to a more serious behavioural disorder? And what happens if the disorder is left undiagnosed and untreated? The steady increase in cases such as this being diagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) – which is now the most common childhood-onset behavioural disorder – is causing concern regarding the implications for society. A related important issue is that ADHD does not necessarily go away as adolescents grow up. In fact, many adults are also diagnosed with ADHD, which impacts on their ability to hold down a job. |
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| Created: | 2013-03-19 12:14 |
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| Collection: | Cambridge Science Festival 2013 |
| Publisher: | University of Cambridge |
| Copyright: | University of Cambridge |
| Language: | eng (English) |
| Distribution: |
World
(downloadable)
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| Keywords: | ADHD; neuroscience; Psychiatry; |
| Categories: |
iTunes - Science iTunes - Health & Medicine - Neuroscience iTunes - Health & Medicine - Psychiatry |
| Explicit content: | No |
| Abstract: | During a public panel discussion at the Cambridge Science Festival, supported by the Wellcome Trust and the British Association for Psychopharmacology, a group of leading University of Cambridge academics, including psychiatrists and neuroscientists, will be discussing with the audience some of the latest evidence-based causes of ADHD, and both established and new treatments for the relief of symptoms.
From the six-year old who picks up a ruler to hit another child without reason, to the eight-year-old day-dreamer who is never able to focus on one task, or the ten-year old who blurts out inappropriate statements, lacking thought or discretion, in the classroom… they are all different children, yet each could have ADHD, which affects 4-10 per cent of children worldwide. The symptoms of ADHD can also persist long into adulthood. Children and adults suffering with ADHD often find things difficult in daily life – relationships, school and work – and this can have an impact on their social and emotional well-being. It can also make life exhausting and stressful for those around them. How is ADHD diagnosed? “ADHD is diagnosed using a well-established set of diagnostic criteria, based on symptoms, impairment, duration of symptoms, and the personal history of problems including early-life stress and other stressful life events such as grief and trauma.” said Dr Ulrich Müller from the Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute (BCNI), University of Cambridge. Dr Müller’s research aims to develop medication and behavioural strategies to improve cognitive functions in patients with ADHD and other neuropsychiatric disorders. He is a board member for the UK Adult ADHD Network (www.ukaan.org), a network of specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adults. UKAAN supports the development of clinical services for adults with ADHD, organises training workshop for clinicians and has established a research platform for clinical trials of new interventions. Although no cure currently exists for ADHD, the symptoms can be reduced by a combination of medication (stimulant drugs such as methylphenidate or ‘Ritalin’) and behavioural therapy. Partly because of concerns about abuse and dependence associated with amphetamine-like drugs, non-stimulant medicines, such as atomoxetine, have started being used to treat ADHD. It is interesting to note that stimulants can also enhance performance in normal volunteers. One possibly worrying trend is that such drugs are also used by healthy people (including students) illegally to enhance cognitive performance. Dr Müller explained: “Stimulants are used, often illegally, for the purpose of academic and work-related performance enhancement. However, although laboratory studies have confirmed that such effects can occur, there are no clinical trial type studies that demonstrate that performance enhancement works consistently in real-life settings. The use of proper placebo controls and confidence enhancing effects of stimulants are often neglected in any discussion about cognitive enhancement.” Müller continued: “Using medication for the treatment of children, young people and adults with ADHD can improve their school and work performance. This is a desired effect of an evidence-based treatment that should not be confused with the life-style use of ADHD medication by healthy people.” If left untreated, ADHD symptoms can result in children being banned from school because of bad behaviour and adult patients being fired from their jobs for poor performance. ADHD medication can reduce criminality, often associated with untreated mental health disorders, and keep young people out of prison. A well-controlled epidemiological study from Sweden showed that adults with ADHD had significantly lower conviction rates when they were on prescribed ADHD medication as compared to periods when they were not taking their medication. Medication has also actually been claimed to reduce future drug abuse and addiction. Müller said: “Clinical trials clearly demonstrate that ADHD medications like methylphenidate (Ritalin) and atomoxetine work in adults as well as in children and is recommended by all clinical ADHD guidelines. Trials of any new types of medication have been unsuccessful, so far. “More research is needed in order to replicate positive studies of non-medication treatments like cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and psychoeducation – a type of education that helps people with mental health illnesses understand and be better able to deal with their illness.” More recent studies show that ADHD, along with other mental health illnesses, tends to run in families and further emerging evidence suggests that genes also play an important role. This is good news for researchers looking to find better ways to diagnose the disorder and, subsequently, more effective treatments. Dr Sam Chamberlain, a Clinical Lecturer in Psychiatry and the BCNI and a panellist on the Focusing on ADHD discussion, said: “Understanding the genes that cause the disorder may result in the identification of new targets for drug therapy”. Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and Director of the BCNI, Trevor Robbins, whose interests span the areas of cognitive neuroscience, behavioural neuroscience and psychopharmacology, also commented: “We are beginning to understand the nature of the brain circuits underlying ADHD in adults and children, and how these circuits are influenced by genetic background and drugs such as the stimulants and atomoxetine. We know for example, that these drugs specifically affect how chemical messengers such as dopamine and noradrenaline modulate these circuits and affect behaviour.” The panel of experts will be joined by two patients from Dr Müller’s adult ADHD clinic and the Cambridgeshire Adult ADHD Support group (http://addventure-within.co.uk/support/), who will talk about their experiences. |
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