ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment in Children and Adolescents

Alex Haga — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 00:54:05 +0000

Date Added:

April 4, 2024

Journal/Publication:

Comparative Effectiveness Review

Publisher:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Publication Date:

March 1, 2024

URL:

ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment in Children and Adolescents

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

https://doi.org/10.23970/AHRQEPCCER267

An evidence-based summary of what we currently know about the diagnosis and treatment of children with ADHD. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Objective. The systematic review assessed evidence on the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents to inform a planned update of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines.

Data sources. We searched PubMed®, Embase®, PsycINFO®, ERIC, clinicaltrials.gov, and prior reviews for primary studies published since 1980. The report includes studies published to June 15, 2023.

Review methods. The review followed a detailed protocol and was supported by a Technical Expert Panel. Citation screening was facilitated by machine learning; two independent reviewers screened full text citations for eligibility. We abstracted data using software designed for systematic reviews. Risk of bias assessments focused on key sources of bias for diagnostic and intervention studies. We conducted strength of evidence (SoE) and applicability assessments for key outcomes. The protocol for the review has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022312656).

Results. Searches identified 23,139 citations, and 7,534 were obtained as full text. We included 550 studies reported in 1,097 publications (231 studies addressed diagnosis, 312 studies addressed treatment, and 10 studies addressed monitoring). Diagnostic studies reported on the diagnostic performance of numerous parental ratings, teacher rating scales, teen/child self-reports, clinician tools, neuropsychological tests, EEG approaches, imaging, and biomarkers. Multiple approaches showed promising diagnostic performance (e.g., using parental rating scales), although estimates of performance varied considerably across studies and the SoE was generally low. Few studies reported estimates for children under the age of 7. Treatment studies evaluated combined pharmacological and behavior approaches, medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration, other pharmacologic treatment, psychological/behavioral approaches, cognitive training, neurofeedback, neurostimulation, physical exercise, nutrition and supplements, integrative medicine, parent support, school interventions, and provider or model-of-care interventions. Medication treatment was associated with improved broadband scale scores and ADHD symptoms (high SoE) as well as function (moderate SoE), but also appetite suppression and adverse events (high SoE). Psychosocial interventions also showed improvement in ADHD symptoms based on moderate SoE. Few studies have evaluated combinations of pharmacological and youth-directed psychosocial interventions, and we did not find combinations that were systematically superior to monotherapy (low SoE). Published monitoring approaches for ADHD were limited and the SoE is insufficient.

Conclusion. Many diagnostic tools are available to aid the diagnosis of ADHD, but few monitoring strategies have been studied. Medication therapies remain important treatment options, although with a risk of side effects, as the evidence base for psychosocial therapies strengthens and other nondrug treatment approaches emerge.

Author/s:

Peterson, BS, Trampush, J, Maglione, M, Bolshakova, M, Brown, M., Rozelle, M

Understanding Suicide Risk And Prevention

Devin Evans — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Date Added:

March 19, 2021

Journal/Publication:

Health Affairs

Publication Date:

January 29, 2021

URL:

Understanding Suicide Risk And Prevention

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Web Page

DOI (1):

10.1377/hpb20201228.198475

Keywords

MeSH

Self-Injurious Behavior

A review of suicide risk and prevention by a psychologist who works with primary care practices. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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KEY POINTS:

Suicide rates have been rising during the past several years, but suicide is preventable.
There are many known risk factors for suicide, but the predictive utility of any single risk factor is low, requiring a focus on population-level rather than individual-level prevention.
There are proven processes for identifying suicide risk and intervening in health care, criminal justice, and education settings.
There is also a need for an enhanced data infrastructure to support suicide and self-harm surveillance systems.
Additional policy intervention is needed to scale and spread successful prevention approaches and to identify others. For example, policies should support removal of lethal means, increased funding for help lines and school-based programs, and integration of mental health care into routine health care.

Author/s:

Miller, Benjamin F., Coffey, M. J.