Despite decades of research, the media and the internet continue to circulate myths, fallacies, and blatant lies about ADHD. This information war on ADHD stigmatizes affected people, reduces the credibility of providers, and delays or prevents access to treatment. In recent years, these problems have worsened with the ascendancy of "fake news" and "alternative facts" in political life.
We curated the International Consensus Statement on ADHD by systematically reviewing the scientific literature to select studies meeting a very high level of evidence. We limited our curation to two types of evidence: meta-analyses and very large studies. We also provide blogs based on new scientific publications. Keep in mind that novel results, although intriguing, require replication.
Going forward, we will promote the International Consensus Statement on social media, to professional organizations devoted to ADHD, and to the advocacy groups that help people with ADHD and their families, worldwide. We will continue curating new evidence as it is published so that the International Consensus Statement can become a living document. And we will fight the War on ADHD through our current book project and related social media activities.
The International Consensus Statement curates key scientific discoveries from the past 20 years. It provides current and accurate information about ADHD supported by a substantial and rigorous body of evidence.
Statements about ADHD strongly supported by medical research.
Authors from 27 countries wrote the Consensus Statement.
Colleagues who have read and endorsed this manuscript.
Questions from My Latest Reddit AMA
For some with ADHD, attention problems make it difficult to filter irrelevant stimuli. They cannot focus on the task at hand because the are processing those irrelevant sensory inputs. That can be overwhelming and lead to stress, anxiety and poor task performance.
The Internet is rife with misinformation about ADHD. I've tried to correct that by setting up curated evidence at www.ADHDevidence.org. I'm here today to spread the evidence about ADHD by answering any questions you may have about the nature , treatment and diagnosis of ADHD.
Artificial food colorants have been shown to be a problem for some people with ADHD. No other foods are know to exacerbate the disorder.
1. Find a prescriber who is experienced in the treatment of ADHD with medications and adhere to the prescribed treatment.
2. If that treatment does not solve all issues, work with them to figure out what could be added, such as CBT.
Surprisingly, data show that sugar consumption does not worsen symptoms of ADHD. No special diet, except removing artificial food colorants, has been shown to help ADHD symptoms.
Encourage them to seek out evidence based treatments and to adhere to those treatments. Self help books by Russ Ramsey or Russ Barkley are also useful.
“The adverse effects of medications for ADHD are typically mild and can be addressed by changing the dose or the medication.”
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