Relationship Maintenance in Couples with a Partner Who Has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The body of research on the relationship functioning of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is relatively small; the aim of the present study is to advance our understanding of this topic. It has been estimated that three to ten percent of children and one to five percent of adults have impairing symptoms of ADHD, which is a total of 4 million children and 4-5 million adults in the U.S. (Wender, 2000). A recent prevalence study found that approximately 4.4% of adults in the U.S. meet the criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD (Kessler et al., 2006). Children with ADHD show innate temperamental characteristics, usually inattentiveness, distractibility, impulsivity, restlessness, demandingness, hyperreactivity, low tolerance for frustration, temperoutbursts, bossiness and stubbornness, and mood lability, along with an innate proclivity for academic underachievement. It has been estimated that one- to two-thirds of children with ADHD have symptoms that continue into adulthood, and for 40-50% of these adults, these symptoms are serious enough to cause impairment in functioning (Everett & Everett, 1999; Wender, 2000). Research suggests that the majority of cases are transmitted genetically, but some may be due to exposure to environmental toxins such as lead. Consumption of excess sugar or allergies to food may exacerbate or mimic ADHD symptoms in some children, but they are not a cause of ADHD (Wender, 2000). One hypothesized cause of the symptoms associated with ADHD is a deficit in the brain's executive functioning (Barkley & Gordon, 2002). Executive functioning can be conceptualized as the ability to inhibit, organize, and plan behaviors. Barkley and Gordon (2002) define it as the abilityto self-direct and regulate behaviors toward future goals, including social behaviors and goals. Other research suggests that executive functioning consists of inhibition, control of interference, verbal and nonverbal working memory, emotional regulation, attention, verbal fluency, visual scanning, and processing speed. Studies have shown impairments in these areas among adults with ADHD (Barkley & Gordon, 2002; Barkley, Murphy & Kwasnik, 1996; Goldstein, 2002).

The Effect of Dietary Tartrazine on Brain Dopamine and the Behavioral Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder correlated with a decrease in brain dopamine and an increase in behavioral symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity. This experiment explored how tartrazine (Yellow #5) impacts these symptoms. After tartrazine administration to Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR), dopamine concentrations in regions of brain tissue were measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay analysis. Behavioral testing with a T-maze and open field test measured impulsivity and hyperactivity, respectively. Results indicate that dietary tartrazine increases hyperactive behaviors in the SHR. However, results do not indicate a relationship between dietary tartrazine and brain dopamine. No conclusions regarding the relationship between dietary tartrazine and impulsivity were drawn.

Why is there a gender gap in children presenting for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder services?

This study addressed why girls are less likely to be referred for mental health services for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than boys. Ninety-six parents of children with elevated ADHD symptoms and 140 elementary school teachers read vignettes about children with ADHD. Half of the participants read vignettes with boys' names, and half read the same vignettes but with girls' names. Participants then rated their likeliness to seek or recommend services for the child in each vignette. Parents and teachers were less likely to seek or recommend services for girls than boys with ADHD, but results did not support the hypothesis that this is because girls are less disruptive than boys. Rather, differences in service seeking were explained by the fact that parents and teachers believed that learning assistance is less effective for girls than boys with ADHD.

Impulsivity and positive psychotic symptoms influence hostility in methamphetamine users

Methamphetamine (MA) use is associated with hostility, aggression, and positive psychotic symptoms. However, little is known of the processes or mechanisms that underlie this relationship. The present research was designed to investigate putative mediating and moderating variables between MA dependence and hostility in a sample of injecting MA users (N=237). Both positive symptoms of psychosis and higher levels of impulsivity functioned as mediators and moderators of this relationship. This pattern of findings suggests that MA use leads to greater hostility by increasing positive psychotic symptoms that contribute to a perception of the environment as a hostile and threatening place as well as by increasing impulsivity. Those who were high in positive symptoms and high in impulsivity were the most hostile. Individual differences in impulsivity and positive psychotic symptoms should be taken into account in the assessment and management of MA dependence.

Out of sight, out of mind/out of mind, out of site : Schooling and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a diagnostic term now indelibly scored on the public psyche. In some quarters, a diagnosis of “ADHD” is regarded with derision. In others it is welcomed with relief. Despite intense multi-disciplinary research, the jury is still out with regards to the “truth” of ADHD. Not surprisingly, the rapid increase in diagnosis over the past fifteen years, coupled with an exponential rise in the prescription of restricted class psychopharmaceuticals has stirred virulent debate. Provoking the most interest, it seems, are questions regarding causality. Typically, these revolve around possible antecedents for “disorderly” behaviour – bad food, bad tv and bad parents. Very seldom is the institution of schooling ever in the line of sight. To investigate this gap, I draw on Foucault to question what might be happening in schools and how this may be contributing to the definition, recognition and classification of particular children as a particular kind of “disorderly”.

Countering the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder epidemic: a question of ethics?

Recently in Australia, another media skirmish has erupted over the problem we currently call “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”. This particular event was precipitated by the comments of a respected District Court judge. His claim that doctors are creating a generation of violent juvenile offenders by prescribing Ritalin to young children created a great deal of excitement, attracting the attention of election-conscious politicians who appear blissfully unaware of the role played by educational policy in creating and maintaining the problem. Given the short (election-driven) attention span of government policymakers, I bypass government to question what those at the front line can do to circumvent the questionable practice of diagnosing and medicating young children for difficulties they experience in schools and with learning.

The schooling experience of six adolescent boys who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

This thesis explored the experience of schooling of six adolescent boys diagnosed with AD/HD from the perspectives of the boys, their mothers and their teachers. The study utilised social constructionism as the theoretical orientation and an explanatory theory of AD/HD, the Dynamic Developmental Theory (DDT) of AD/HD as a framework. Findings included the importance of making and managing friendships for young people with AD/HD, the importance of being informed about AD/HD as well classroom strategies that support the learning of students for teachers, and the apparent role that medication in concert with an engaging classroom environment can play in the successful schooling of boys with AD/HD.

A population-specific HTR2B stop codon predisposes to severe impulsivity

Impulsivity, describing action without foresight, is an important feature of several psychiatric diseases, suicidality and violent behaviour. The complex origins of impulsivity hinder identification of the genes influencing it and the diseases with which it is associated. Here we perform exon-focused sequencing of impulsive individuals in a founder population, targeting fourteen genes belonging to the serotonin and dopamine domain. A stop codon in HTR2B was identified that is common (minor allele frequency > 1%) but exclusive to Finnish people. Expression of the gene in the human brain was assessed, as well as the molecular functionality of the stop codon, which was associated with psychiatric diseases marked by impulsivity in both population and family-based analyses. Knockout of Htr2b increased impulsive behaviours in mice, indicative of predictive validity. Our study shows the potential for identifying and tracing effects of rare alleles in complex behavioural phenotypes using founder populations, and indicates a role for HTR2B in impulsivity.