{"id":25877,"date":"2025-04-13T11:44:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T11:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=25877"},"modified":"2025-04-13T12:28:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T12:28:51","slug":"5-takeaways-from-new-research-about-a-d-h-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=25877","title":{"rendered":"5 Takeaways From New Research About A.D.H.D."},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-165lfve e1wiw3jv0\">Scientists who study the condition are wrestling with some fundamental questions about the way we define and treat it.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As diagnoses of A.D.H.D. and prescriptions for medications hit new record highs, scientists who study the condition are wrestling with some fundamental questions about the way we define and treat it. More than 15 percent of American adolescents have been diagnosed with A.D.H.D., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including 23 percent of 17-year-old boys. A total of seven million American children have received a diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Normally, when a diagnosis booms like this, it\u2019s because of some novel scientific breakthrough \u2014 a newly discovered treatment or a fresh understanding of what causes the underlying symptoms. I spent the last year interviewing A.D.H.D. scientists around the world <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/13\/magazine\/adhd-medication-treatment-research.html\" title>for my magazine article<\/a>, and what I heard from them was, in fact, the opposite: In many ways, we now understand A.D.H.D. <em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">less<\/em> well than we thought we did a couple of decades ago. Recent studies have shaken some of the field\u2019s previous assumptions about A.D.H.D. At the same time, scientists have made important discoveries, including some that are leading to a new understanding of the role of a child\u2019s environment in the progression of his symptoms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At a moment of national concern about our shrinking attention spans, this science suggests that there may be some new and more effective ways to help the millions of young people who are struggling to focus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Below are the key <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/13\/magazine\/adhd-medication-treatment-research.html\" title>findings from the new research<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-2upsz0 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-522d681d\">A.D.H.D. is hard to define \u2014 and recent science has made it harder, not easier.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A.D.H.D. has always been a tricky condition to diagnose. One patient\u2019s behavior may look quite different from another\u2019s, and certain A.D.H.D. symptoms can also be signs of other problems, from anxiety and depression to childhood trauma and<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>autism spectrum disorder. Twenty years ago, researchers thought they were on the verge of ending that controversy by finding a distinct \u201cbiomarker\u201d for A.D.H.D. \u2014 a single gene that would reliably predict the disorder, or a physical difference in the brain that you could spot on an M.R.I. But today scientists acknowledge that the search for a biomarker has mostly come up empty, which means the diagnosis remains fluid and somewhat subjective.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Adding to the confusion, a study published last October found that only about one in nine children diagnosed with A.D.H.D. experiences consistent symptoms all the way through childhood. More often, the researchers found, symptoms come and go, sometimes disappearing for a few years, sometimes returning. Together with other research, this study has led some in the field to conclude that our traditional conception of A.D.H.D. as an inherent biological fact \u2014 something you simply have or don\u2019t have, something wired deep in your brain \u2014 is both inaccurate and unhelpful. A new model considers A.D.H.D. differently: not as a disorder you always <em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">have<\/em> in some essential way, but as a condition you <em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">experience<\/em>, sometimes temporarily.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-2upsz0 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4693729c\">Medications like Adderall and Ritalin can have a positive effect on children\u2019s behavior \u2013 but the<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>results often don\u2019t last.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The biggest long-term study of A.D.H.D. treatments found that after 14 months of treatment, a daily dose of Ritalin did a better job of reducing children\u2019s symptoms than nondrug interventions like therapy or parent coaching. But then the effect started to fade, and by 36 months, the relative benefit of the drug treatment had disappeared altogether. The symptoms of the children in the medication treatment group were no better than those of the ones assigned to behavioral interventions \u2014 and no better than a comparison group that was given no intervention at all.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-kbghgg\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F13%2Fmagazine%2Fadhd-children-research-takeaways.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F13%2Fmagazine%2Fadhd-children-research-takeaways.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F13%2Fmagazine%2Fadhd-children-research-takeaways.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F13%2Fmagazine%2Fadhd-children-research-takeaways.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scientists who study the condition are wrestling with some fundamental questions about the way we define and treat it.As diagnoses of A.D.H.D. and prescriptions for medications hit new record highs, scientists who study the condition are wrestling with some fundamental questions about the way we define and treat it. More than 15 percent of American adolescents have been diagnosed with A.D.H.D., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including 23 percent of 17-year-old boys. A total of seven million American children have received a diagnosis.Normally, when a diagnosis booms like this, it\u2019s because of some novel scientific breakthrough \u2014 a newly discovered treatment or a fresh understanding of what causes the underlying symptoms. I spent the last year interviewing A.D.H.D. scientists around the world for my magazine article, and what I heard from them was, in fact, the opposite: In many ways, we now understand A.D.H.D. less well than we thought we did a couple of decades ago. Recent studies have shaken some of the field\u2019s previous assumptions about A.D.H.D. At the same time, scientists have made important discoveries, including some that are leading to a new understanding of the role of a child\u2019s environment in the progression of his symptoms.At a moment of national concern about our shrinking attention spans, this science suggests that there may be some new and more effective ways to help the millions of young people who are struggling to focus.Below are the key findings from the new research.A.D.H.D. is hard to define \u2014 and recent science has made it harder, not easier.A.D.H.D. has always been a tricky condition to diagnose. One patient\u2019s behavior may look quite different from another\u2019s, and certain A.D.H.D. symptoms can also be signs of other problems, from anxiety and depression to childhood trauma and autism spectrum disorder. Twenty years ago, researchers thought they were on the verge of ending that controversy by finding a distinct \u201cbiomarker\u201d for A.D.H.D. \u2014 a single gene that would reliably predict the disorder, or a physical difference in the brain that you could spot on an M.R.I. But today scientists acknowledge that the search for a biomarker has mostly come up empty, which means the diagnosis remains fluid and somewhat subjective.Adding to the confusion, a study published last October found that only about one in nine children diagnosed with A.D.H.D. experiences consistent symptoms all the way through childhood. More often, the researchers found, symptoms come and go, sometimes disappearing for a few years, sometimes returning. Together with other research, this study has led some in the field to conclude that our traditional conception of A.D.H.D. as an inherent biological fact \u2014 something you simply have or don\u2019t have, something wired deep in your brain \u2014 is both inaccurate and unhelpful. A new model considers A.D.H.D. differently: not as a disorder you always have in some essential way, but as a condition you experience, sometimes temporarily.Medications like Adderall and Ritalin can have a positive effect on children\u2019s behavior \u2013 but the results often don\u2019t last.The biggest long-term study of A.D.H.D. treatments found that after 14 months of treatment, a daily dose of Ritalin did a better job of reducing children\u2019s symptoms than nondrug interventions like therapy or parent coaching. But then the effect started to fade, and by 36 months, the relative benefit of the drug treatment had disappeared altogether. The symptoms of the children in the medication treatment group were no better than those of the ones assigned to behavioral interventions \u2014 and no better than a comparison group that was given no intervention at all.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25879,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25877"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25880,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25877\/revisions\/25880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}