Mayo Clinic researchers are presenting new findings on the early
treatment of child and adolescent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder this
week at the American Academy of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatry annual
meeting in San Francisco. Find out…..
In the first study, Mayo Clinic researchers required parents and
teachers of children coming in for their first ADHD consultation, defined by
some combination of problems such as difficulty sustaining attention,
hyperactivity and impulsive behavior, consultations to complete extensive
background forms and analysis. By offering incentives and stressing the
importance of being prepared for the first consultation, clinicians were able
to boost parent and teacher compliance from 25 to 90 percent at the Mayo Clinic
Child and Adolescent ADHD Clinic. As a result, researchers have been able to
better recommend treatment and therapy right off the bat.
"I'd compare treating a child with ADHD for the first time to
consulting with someone who has type II diabetes -- we need to measure a
diabetic patient's blood sugar level before we can properly treat them,"
says study lead author Jyoti Bhagia, M.D., a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist.
"The same goes for ADHD. The more we know about children in the early
stages of treatment, the more quickly we can get them the help they need."
In the second study, Mayo Clinic researchers gave 75 patients with
ADHD at the Mayo Clinic Child and Adolescent ADHD Clinic a written, subjective
evaluation to test for oppositional defiance disorder, a persistent pattern of
tantrums, arguing, and angry or disruptive behavior toward authority figures.
They found that the test was far better able to pick up whether
the child had the disorder than an anecdotal physician diagnosis. Of the 75
patients in the study, 27 percent, or less than a third, were diagnosed with
oppositional defiance disorder by their providers. After taking the subjective
test, 48 percent tested positive for oppositional defiance disorder. That shows
the presence of oppositional defiance disorder with ADHD is underdiagnosed and
children may not be receiving the behavioral treatment they need.
Children who have both ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder
benefit from a combination of medication and behavioral therapy, says Dr.
Bhagia.
Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Mayo
Clinic.
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide
medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily
reflect those of Eagle Group or its staff.
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