RxPG News : Child Psychiatry

Congenital heart defects increasing among IVF twins

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 13:30:00 PST

The prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) among in vitro fertilization (IVF) pregnancies was similar to that of the general population, but there is an increasing risk of CHD among twins resulting from IVF, according to research by Yale School of Medicine researchers.

In utero exposure to smoking increases ADHD risk

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 16:00:00 PST

Women smokers who become pregnant have long been encouraged to reduce or eliminate their nicotine intake. A new study being published in the June 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry provides further reason to do so, as it presents new evidence that in utero exposure to smoking is associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) problems in genetically susceptible children.

Adolescents with high-risk sexual attitudes attract peers with similar attitudes

Mon, 21 May 2007 04:00:00 PST

High-risk sexual behavior in adolescents appears to be influenced by the sexual attitudes of peers, and young people select friends whose attitudes about sex are consistent with their own attitudes. These are the conclusions of a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and published in the May/June 2007 issue of the journal Child Development.

Incredible Years parenting programme effective for child behaviour problems

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 01:37:30 PST

Research in Wales has demonstrated that the Incredible Years parenting programme, an evidence-based programme developed at the University of Washington, Seattle, is very effective in reducing the likelihood of children going on to develop behavioural problems in the UK.

Early to bed and later wake times - good for children - Study reports

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 02:28:31 PST

Research indicates that getting inadequate sleep has negative effects on children's social and emotional well-being and school performance. Now a Northwestern University study finds it also increases their risk of being overweight.

Study reports a rise in autism spectrum disorders

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 14:33:24 PST

The incidence of three childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism, increased among Danish children between 1990 and 2004, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The findings suggest that recent upward trends in reported autism diagnoses may be part of a broader pattern in childhood mental illness.

Sodium, prostaglandin may be keys to successful treatment for some bedwetters

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 15:06:28 PST

Children with a form of bedwetting that does not respond to a common medication have more sodium and urea in their nighttime urine, possibly because of an imbalance of prostaglandin, a hormone-like substance, a new study has found.

Many adults with psychiatric disorders may also have undiagnosed ADHD

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 05:38:00 PST

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ) announced today that many adults with a depressive disorder, Bipolar Disorder (BPD), or an anxiety disorder may also have undiagnosed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to a longitudinal retrospective medical claims analysis presented today at a major medical meeting of child and adolescent psychiatrists.

Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (NRP104/LDX) is generally well-tolerated.

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 05:34:00 PST

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ) and its collaborative partner New River Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: NRPH) announced today that their investigational ADHD treatment, lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (also known as NRP104 or LDX), yielded a 60 percent improvement in the primary rating scale scores for symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children aged 6 to 12 years who received six months of treatment in an open-label phase III study. Results also demonstrated that at 6 months, 95 percent of children taking lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (NRP104/LDX) produced a "much improved" or "very much improved" rating on the Clinical Global Impressions Improvement score. These results were presented last weekend at a national meeting of child and adolescent psychiatrists.

Preschoolers with ADHD improve with low doses of medication

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 02:43:00 PST

The first long-term, large-scale study designed to determine the safety and effectiveness of treating preschoolers who have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with methylphenidate (Ritalin) has found that overall, low doses of this medication are effective and safe. However, the study found that children this age are more sensitive than older children to the medication's side effects and therefore should be closely monitored. The 70-week, six-site study was funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and was described in several articles in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Controlling behavior of children with tourette and tic disorders

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:19:00 PST

A program to train parents how to manage the disruptive behavior of children with Tourette syndrome (TS) and tic disorders works well, according to a pilot study conducted by Yale School of Nursing and the Yale Child Study Center.

OROS methylphenidate is best for teenage drivers with ADHD

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 01:05:00 PST

Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have found that teenage drivers with attention deficit hyper activity disorder (ADHD) drive better when they took OROS methylphenidate (OROS MPH), a controlled-release stimulant, rather than extended release amphetamine salts (se-AMPH ER).

Almost half of kids with ADHD are not being treated

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 13:49:00 PST

In contrast to claims that children are being overmedicated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that a high percentage of kids with ADHD are not receiving treatment. In fact, almost half of the children who might benefit from ADHD drugs were not getting them.

How ADHD drugs work in brain

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 01:25:00 PST

Although millions depend on medications such as Ritalin to quell symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), scientists have struggled to pinpoint how the drugs work in the brain.

Pycnogenol reduces hyperactivity, increases concentration in ADHD

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 20:20:00 PST

A new study to be published in the June 17 edition of the journal of European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry shows a significant reduction of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children after supplementing with Pycnogenol® (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, everyday for one month.

Severe body image concerns under-recognized in teens

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 06:16:00 PST

Adolescents with negative body image concerns are more likely to be depressed, anxious, and suicidal than those without intense dissatisfaction over their appearance, even when compared to adolescents with other psychiatric illnesses, according to a new study by researchers at Bradley Hospital, Butler Hospital and Brown Medical School.

Prematurity and low birth weight increase risk of hyperkinetic disorder

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 16:48:00 PST

Premature or low birthweight babies are up to three times as likely to become hyperactive, with low attention spans, suggests research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Hyperactivity, low attention span, and impulsive behaviour characterise the syndrome known as hyperkinetic disorder, or HKD for short. It is one of the most common mental disorders diagnosed among children, say the authors.

Ritalin, from whiskers to brain

Wed, 31 May 2006 17:03:00 PST

Methylphenidate (Ritalin) elevates norepinephrine levels in the brains of rats to help focus attention while suppressing nerve signal transmissions in the sensory pathways to make it easier to block out extraneous stimuli, a Philadelphia research team has found. Their report in the Journal of Neurophysiology helps explain how a stimulant aids people with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders to improve their focus without increasing their motor activity. Methylphenidate, prescribed under the brand name Ritalin, has been used for more than 20 years, mostly in children, to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD). The drug can also help people who don't suffer either disorder to attend better to a cognitive task.

NRP104 significantly reduced symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children

Thu, 25 May 2006 13:20:00 PST

Treatment with the investigational drug, lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (NRP104), demonstrated statistically significant reduction in the symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children aged 6 to 12 years according to the results of a phase III trial presented today at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual meeting.

Extreme personality poses risk of ADHD, conduct disorder

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 07:58:00 PST

Children with personalities marked by aggressiveness, mood swings, a sense of alienation and a need for excitement may be at greater risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or conduct disorder, according to a new Florida State University study.

Increased cognitive control in Tourette's syndrome

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 02:23:00 PST

Though the repetitive vocal and motor tics characteristic of Tourette's syndrome may suggest an inability to control involuntary actions at the cognitive level, researchers have now found evidence that young people with Tourette's syndrome actually exhibit a greater level of cognitive control over their movements than their non-affected peers do. The research findings are consistent with a greater need for cognitive control of actions in individuals with Tourette's syndrome, and they offer clues to which regions of the brain may be involved in the generation of the syndrome's characteristic behavioral tics.

TV viewing may not increase chances of ADHD

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 04:38:00 PST

Children who watch television are no more likely to develop attention disorders, say scientists rejecting earlier studies that linked kids' television exposure to such problems. Earlier studies found that children who watch TV more often could face several health problems such as loss of sleep, poor academic performances and symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a mental condition.

Parental Conflict Produces More Than Fleeting Distress for Children

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 18:36:00 PST

Six-year-olds whose parents displayed frequent disagreements in their relationship responded to subsequent parental conflicts with elevated distress and negative thoughts, according to a team of researchers from the University of Rochester and the University of Notre Dame.

Teasing contributes to children's eating disorder

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 17:58:00 PST

Distress over being teased about their weight and rejection by peers could lead to eating disorders in children, says a study.

Methylphenidate transdermal system showed promise

Sat, 12 Nov 2005 20:24:00 PST

Shire announced at the US Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in Las Vegas, Nevada, that its investigational methylphenidate transdermal system (MTS) demonstrated statistically significant reductions in the symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and was generally well tolerated in patients aged 6 to 12 in two clinical trials.

Antisocial behaviour and ADHD linked to mothers' smoking during pregnancy

Sun, 07 Aug 2005 14:40:00 PST

Both antisocial behaviour and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in offspring are independently influenced by maternal smoking during pregnancy, a new study has found.

Surprise findings on childhood depression

Thu, 02 Jun 2005 16:01:00 PST

A child's social environment may have only a modest effect on whether very young children become depressed, according to new Australian research.

ADHD Improves with Sensory Intervention

Fri, 13 May 2005 19:59:00 PST

Preliminary findings from a study of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show that sensory intervention -- for example, deep pressure and strenuous exercise -- can significantly improve problem behaviors such as restlessness, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Of the children receiving occupational therapy, 95 percent improved. This is the first study of this size on sensory intervention for ADHD.

Medication Combined with Behavior Therapy Works Best for ADHD

Sat, 07 May 2005 18:44:00 PST

A new University at Buffalo study of treatments for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has found that combining behavior modification therapy with medication is the most effective way to improve the behavior of many ADHD children.