Is ADHD Really Increasing in Youth?

Bridging the gap: improving correspondence between low-field and high-field magnetic resonance images in young people

Background

Portable low-field-strength magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems represent a promising alternative to traditional high-field-strength systems with the potential to make MR technology available at scale in low-resource settings. However, lower image quality and resolution may limit the research and clinical potential of these devices. We tested two super-resolution methods to enhance image quality in a low-field MR system and compared their correspondence with images acquired from a high-field system in a sample of young people.

Methods

T1- and T2-weighted structural MR images were obtained from a low-field (64mT) Hyperfine and high-field (3T) Siemens system in N = 70 individuals (mean age = 20.39 years, range 9-26 years). We tested two super-resolution approaches to improve image correspondence between images acquired at high- and low-field: (1) processing via a convolutional neural network ('SynthSR'), and (2) multi-orientation image averaging. We extracted brain region volumes, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area estimates. We used Pearson correlations to test the correspondence between these measures, and Steiger Z tests to compare the difference in correspondence between standard imaging and super-resolution approaches.

Results

Single pairs of T1- and T2-weighted images acquired at low field showed high correspondence to high-field-strength images for estimates of total intracranial volume, surface area cortical volume, subcortical volume, and total brain volume (r range = 0.60-0.88). Correspondence was lower for cerebral white matter volume (r = 0.32, p = 0.007, q = 0.009) and non-significant for mean cortical thickness (r = -0.05, p = 0.664, q = 0.664). Processing images with SynthSR yielded significant improvements in correspondence for total brain volume, white matter volume, total surface area, subcortical volume, cortical volume, and total intracranial volume (r range = 0.85-0.97), with the exception of global mean cortical thickness (r = 0.14). An alternative multi-orientation image averaging approach improved correspondence for cerebral white matter and total brain volume. Processing with SynthSR also significantly improved correspondence across widespread regions for estimates of cortical volume, surface area and subcortical volume, as well as within isolated prefrontal and temporal regions for estimates of cortical thickness.

Conclusion

Applying super-resolution approaches to low-field imaging improves regional brain volume and surface area accuracy in young people. Finer-scale brain measurements, such as cortical thickness, remain challenging with the limited resolution of low-field systems.

Increased diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder despite stable hyperactive/inattentive behaviours: evidence from two birth cohorts of Australian children

BACKGROUND

Globally, ADHD diagnoses have increased substantially and there is concern that this trend does not necessarily reflect improved detection of cases but that overdiagnosis may be occurring. We directly compared ADHD diagnoses with ADHD-related behaviours and looked for changes across time among Australian children in a large, population-based prospective cohort study.

METHODS

We conducted a secondary analysis of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, including 4,699 children born 1999/2000 (cohort 1) and 4,425 children born 2003/2004 (cohort 2), followed from 4 to 13 years of age. We compared pre-diagnosis parent-reported hyperactive/inattentive behaviour scores between newly diagnosed (incident cases) and undiagnosed children and fitted Cox's proportional hazards regression models to examine the relationship between birth cohorts 1 and 2 and the risk of incident ADHD diagnosis.

RESULTS

Cumulative incident ADHD diagnoses increased from 4.6% in cohort 1 (born in 1999/2000) to 5.6% in cohort 2 (born in 2003/2004), while hyperactive/inattentive behaviour scores remained steady. Among ADHD diagnosed children, 26.5% (88/334) recorded pre-diagnosis behaviours in the normal range, 27.6% (n = 92) had borderline scores and 45.8% (n = 153) scored within the clinical range. Children born in 2003/2004 were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD compared with those born in 1999/2000 (aHR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.06-1.67, p = .012), regardless of their ADHD behaviour score (p = .972).

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnostic increases were not driven by rises in hyperactive/inattentive behaviours. A quarter of all children with an ADHD diagnosis recorded pre-diagnosis behaviours within the normal range. The increased likelihood of being diagnosed with ADHD for children from the later birth cohort was observed for children across the full range of ADHD-related behaviours.

Co-occurrence, stability and manifestation of child and adolescent mental health problems: a latent transition analysis

Background

Complex constellations of socio-emotional and behavioural problems (i.e., mental health problems) in childhood and adolescence are common and heighten the risk for subsequent personality, anxiety and mood disorders in adulthood. Aims of this study included the examination of patterns of mental health problems (e.g., externalizing-internalizing co-occurrence) and their transitions to reported mental disorders by using a longitudinal person-centered approach (latent class and latent transition analysis).

Methods

The sample consisted of 1255 children and adolescents (51.7% female, mean age = 12.3 years, age range 8–26 years) from three time points of the comprehensive mental health and wellbeing BELLA study. Children and their parents completed the German SDQ (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire, Goodman, 1997) and reported on diagnoses of ADHD, depression, and anxiety.

Results

Latent class analysis identified a normative class, an emotional problem class, and a multiple problem class. According to latent transition analysis, the majority of the sample (91.6%) did not change latent class membership over time; 14.7% of individuals showed a persistent pattern of mental health problems. Diagnoses of mental disorders were more likely to be reported by individuals in the emotional problem or multiple problem class.

Conclusions

Results highlight the need for early prevention of mental health problems to avoid accumulation and manifestation in the transition to adolescence and young adulthood.

Do adoption age and country of origin matter for non-kin adoptees’ risk of psychiatric contact and post-adoption out-of-home care placement?

Aim:

The aim of this study was to investigate within-group differences among Danish non-kin adoptees with regard to probability of mental health problems and post-adoption out-of-home care (OHC) placement, with a particular focus on whether adoption age and country of origin mattered.

Methods:

I used Danish registry data on non-kin adoptees born between 1989 and 1994 ( N=2922) at the age of 17 and applied bivariate analyses and seemingly unrelated regression to describe associations between non-kin adoptees’ adoption characteristics and two outcomes: (a) psychiatric contact and (b) post-adoption OHC.

Results:

Psychiatric contact and post-adoption OHC co-occurred among non-kin adoptees, and these two life events should be considered jointly. Adoption age mattered equally for the risk of psychiatric contact and OHC, but country of origin mattered more for psychiatric contact than for OHC. Adoption at one year of age and older was associated with an elevated risk of psychiatric contact and OHC. Romanian adoptees had a higher likelihood of psychiatric contact when compared to all the other adoptees, regardless of country of origin. In contrast, adoptees from India had a lower probability of psychiatric contact and of entering OHC compared to all the other adoptees.

Conclusions:

The heterogeneity in non-kin adoptees’ psychiatric contact and OHC in terms of adoption age and country of origin is important to consider in future research, as well as for social workers and clinicians in their role of promoting health and preventing mental health problems.

Development of coordination and muscular fitness in children and adolescents with parent-reported ADHD in the German longitudinal MoMo Study

This study examined the development of muscular fitness and coordination in children and adolescents with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) over a period of 11 years. Data was collected in three measurement waves as part of the longitudinal, representative Motorik-Modul (MoMo) study in Germany (2003-2006, 2009-2012, 2014-2017). The overall sample comprised 2988 participants (253 with ADHD, 65% males; 2735 non-ADHD, 47% males; mean age 9 years). Structural equation modeling was conducted, and the estimated models had a good fit. No differences in muscular fitness were observed between participants with and without ADHD. Participants with ADHD had a lower coordinative performance at first measurement than those without ADHD. The difference in coordinative performance persisted throughout the study period.

Increased availability of drugs is correlated with the number of patients diagnosed thereafter: Data analysis of 45 intractable diseases

WHAT IS KNOWN

Estimates of the prevalence of diseases can be affected by non-biological factors such as change in diagnostic criteria and change in awareness of the diseases. The launch of a new drug is a potential contributory factor to the estimated prevalence of the target disease, but there appears to be no reports on this possible relationship.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between the change in the number of patients diagnosed and factors such as the number of drugs indicated and the number of relevant scientific articles, focused on 45 intractable diseases in Japan.

METHODS

The number of patients with 1 of 45 intractable diseases from 2004 to 2013 was collected from publicly available data. The number of drugs indicated, the number of scientific articles, and diagnostic and certificate criteria for the disease were collected from publicly available sources from 2004 to 2013. Using these data, the correlation coefficient was calculated, and linear regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The rate of increase in the number of drugs and the increase rate of the number of articles were found to be associated with an increase in the number of patients from 2004 to 2013. Linear regression analysis showed that the increase rate of the number of drugs available (2004-2008) was a statistically significant factor correlated with the rate of increase in the number of patients diagnosed in the following period (2009-2013). However, the increase rate of the number of patients (2004-2008) was not associated with the rate of increase in the number of drugs (2009-2013). One possible reason as to why the number of new drugs was correlated with the patient diagnosis numbers thereafter was proposed to be due to an increased awareness of diseases among physicians.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

This is the first study to investigate the relationship between the number of new drugs and the number of patients diagnosed based on data from multiple diseases. The investigation of data on 45 intractable diseases in Japan indicated that the increased availability of drugs was correlated with the increase in the number of patients in the future.

Overdiagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Scoping Review

IMPORTANCE

Reported increases in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses are accompanied by growing debate about the underlying factors. Although overdiagnosis is often suggested, no comprehensive evaluation of evidence for or against overdiagnosis has ever been undertaken and is urgently needed to enable evidence-based, patient-centered diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in contemporary health services.

OBJECTIVE

To systematically identify, appraise, and synthesize the evidence on overdiagnosis of ADHD in children and adolescents using a published 5-question framework for detecting overdiagnosis in noncancer conditions.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

This systematic scoping review adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews and Joanna Briggs Methodology, including the PRISMA-ScR Checklist. MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies published in English between January 1, 1979, and August 21, 2020. Studies of children and adolescents (aged ≤18 years) with ADHD that focused on overdiagnosis plus studies that could be mapped to 1 or more framework question were included. Two researchers independently reviewed all abstracts and full-text articles, and all included studies were assessed for quality.

FINDINGS

Of the 12 267 potentially relevant studies retrieved, 334 (2.7%) were included. Of the 334 studies, 61 (18.3%) were secondary and 273 (81.7%) were primary research articles. Substantial evidence of a reservoir of ADHD was found in 104 studies, providing a potential for diagnoses to increase (question 1). Evidence that actual ADHD diagnosis had increased was found in 45 studies (question 2). Twenty-five studies showed that these additional cases may be on the milder end of the ADHD spectrum (question 3), and 83 studies showed that pharmacological treatment of ADHD was increasing (question 4). A total of 151 studies reported on outcomes of diagnosis and pharmacological treatment (question 5). However, only 5 studies evaluated the critical issue of benefits and harms among the additional, milder cases. These studies supported a hypothesis of diminishing returns in which the harms may outweigh the benefits for youths with milder symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This review found evidence of ADHD overdiagnosis and overtreatment in children and adolescents. Evidence gaps remain and future research is needed, in particular research on the long-term benefits and harms of diagnosing and treating ADHD in youths with milder symptoms; therefore, practitioners should be mindful of these knowledge gaps, especially when identifying these individuals and to ensure safe and equitable practice and policy.

Internet-Based Support and Coaching With Complementary Clinic Visits for Young People With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism: Controlled Feasibility Study

BACKGROUND

Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience obstacles in traditional health care situations due to difficulties associated with their impairment.

OBJECTIVE

This controlled study aims to investigate the feasibility of an internet-based support and coaching intervention (IBSC), including 2 weekly chat sessions and 2 complementary clinic visits with coaches over the course of 8 weeks, for adolescents and young adults with ADHD and/or ASD in 2 naturalistic routine care settings.

METHODS

Individuals with ADHD and/or ASD aged 15-32 years were recruited in 2 clinical settings, where they received either IBSC (n=24) or treatment as usual (TAU; n=20). Outcome measures included self-report questionnaires assessing quality of life (Manchester Short Assessment for Quality of Life), sense of coherence (Sense Of Coherence 29), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and anxiety and depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS] and Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self-reported, respectively).

RESULTS

Significant between-group effects were observed in measures of anxiety (HADS) at postintervention (P=.02) as well as at the 6-month follow-up (P=.004). Significant between-group effects were also noted for depressive symptoms (HADS) postintervention (P=.04). The between-group effects were partially explained by a deterioration in the TAU group. A significant increase in self-esteem (P=.04) as well as a decrease in anxiety (P=.003) at the 6-month follow-up was observed in the intervention group following IBSC. Findings from a qualitative study of the intervention are consistent with the results.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from this study suggest that IBSC holds promise as a feasible complement or alternative to traditional face-to-face health care meetings.

The Association between Green Space and Adolescents' Mental Well-Being: A Systematic Review

This systematic review summarised and evaluated the evidence for associations between green space and adolescents’ mental well-being. The PRISMA statement guidelines were followed for reporting systematic reviews. Fourteen articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Synthesis suggests beneficial associations between green space exposure and reduced stress, positive mood, less depressive symptoms, better emotional well-being, improved mental health and behaviour, and decreased psychological distress in adolescents. Several studies found the relationship varied by demographic and socio-economic factors. The limited number of studies and the risk of bias were the main limitations, together with heterogeneity regarding green space and mental well-being assessments. Overall, this review highlights the potential contribution of green space in schoolyards. Improving the availability, accessibility and quality of green space is likely to generate positive impacts on adolescents’ mental well-being. More consistent evidence on the use of different types of green space and perceptions of features are needed in the future.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), like other psychiatric disorders, represents an evolving construct that has been refined and developed over the past several decades in response to research into its clinical nature and structure. The clinical presentation and course of the disorder have been extensively characterised. Efficacious medication-based treatments are available and widely used, often alongside complementary psychosocial approaches. However, their effectiveness has been questioned because they might not address the broader clinical needs of many individuals with ADHD, especially over the longer term. Non-pharmacological approaches to treatment have proven less effective than previously thought, whereas scientific and clinical studies are starting to fundamentally challenge current conceptions of the causes of ADHD in ways that might have the potential to alter clinical approaches in the future. In view of this, we first provide an account of the diagnosis, epidemiology, and treatment of ADHD from the perspective of both the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases. Second, we review the progress in our understanding of the causes and pathophysiology of ADHD on the basis of science over the past decade or so. Finally, using these discoveries, we explore some of the key challenges to both the current models and the treatment of ADHD, and the ways in which these findings can promote new perspectives.

Evidence of potential overdiagnosis and overtreatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents: protocol for a scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Worldwide, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis rates in children and adolescents have been increasing consistently over the past decades, fuelling a debate about the underlying reasons for this trend. While many hypothesise that a substantial number of these additional cases are overdiagnosed, to date there has been no comprehensive evaluation of evidence for or against this hypothesis. Thus, with this scoping review we aim to synthesise published evidence on the topic in order to investigate whether existing literature is consistent with the occurrence of overdiagnosis and/or overtreatment of ADHD in children and adolescents.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The proposed scoping review will be conducted in the context of a framework of five questions, developed specifically to identify areas in medicine with the potential for overdiagnosis and overtreatment. The review will adhere to the Joanna Briggs Methodology for Scoping Reviews. We will search Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library electronic databases for primary studies published in English from 1979 onwards. We will also conduct forward and backward citation searches of included articles. Data from studies that meet our predefined exclusion and inclusion criteria will be charted into a standardised extraction template with results mapped to our predetermined five-question framework in the form of a table and summarised in narrative form.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The proposed study is a scoping review of the existing literature and as such does not require ethics approval. We intend to disseminate the results from the scoping review through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and through conference presentations. Further, we will use the findings from our scoping review to inform future research to fill key evidence gaps identified by this review.

ADHD in children and adolescents in Germany. Results of the cross-sectional KiGGS Wave 2 study and trends

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders in childhood and adolescence and is associated with functional, psychosocial and cognitive impairment. As part of the second wave of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (2014-2017), parents of children and adolescents aged between 3 and 17 years reported whether their child was diagnosed with ADHD by a physician or psychologist. Overall, 4.4% of children and adolescents have been diagnosed with ADHD in Germany. In comparison, the KiGGS baseline study (2003-2006) showed a reduction of lifetime ADHD diagnoses of almost one percentage point over a period of ten years. The reduction of parent-reported ADHD diagnoses primarily occurred among 3- to 8-year old children and boys. The results are discussed in terms of health promotion and the introduction of health care measures.

Has the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder phenotype become more common in children between 2004 and 2014? Trends over 10 years from a Swedish general population sample

BACKGROUND

Studies have reported increases in clinically diagnosed and treated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during the last decade, but it is unclear if this reflects an increase in the underlying ADHD phenotype. We aimed to clarify if there has been an increase in the prevalence of ADHD-like traits in the general population from 2004 to 2014.

METHOD

Data were collected from 9-year-old twins (19,271), participating in the population-based Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden between 2004 and 2014. We assessed lifetime ADHD symptoms using the Autism-Tics, ADHD and other Comorbidities inventory. Research proxies for diagnostic-level ADHD and subthreshold ADHD were derived from this scale. We modeled the lifetime prevalence of diagnostic-level and subthreshold ADHD with logistic regression, and assessed mean ADHD scores each year with linear regression. Lifetime prevalence of clinically diagnosed ADHD was retrieved from the National Patient Register and modeled with logistic regression.

RESULTS

The prevalence of diagnostic-level ADHD based on parent ratings did not differ significantly over time from 2004 to 2014 (OR 1.37; 95% CI: 0.77-2.45; p-value .233). Both subthreshold ADHD and mean ADHD scores increased significantly over time (both p-values <.001). Clinically diagnosed ADHD increased more than fivefold from 2004 to 2014 (OR 5.27, 95% CI: 1.85-14.96).

CONCLUSIONS

We found no evidence of an increase in ADHD-like traits at the extreme end of the distribution from 2004 to 2014, but small increases in normal and subthreshold variations of ADHD-like traits were observed. This suggests that the increased rates of clinically diagnosed ADHD might reflect changes in diagnostic and treatment practices of ADHD, administrative changes in reporting diagnoses, greater awareness of ADHD, better access to healthcare, or current overdiagnosis, rather than an increase in the ADHD phenotype.

Prevalence rates of youths diagnosed with and medicated for ADHD in a nationwide survey in Taiwan from 2000 to 2011

AIMS

Public controversy regarding the potential overdiagnosis and overmedication of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has continued for decades. This study used the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan (NHIRD-TW) to explore trends in ADHD diagnosis in youths and the proportion of those receiving medication, with the aim of determining whether ADHD is overdiagnosed and overmedicated in Taiwan.

METHOD

Youths (age ≤18 years) who had at least two NHIRD-TW claims records with ADHD diagnosis between January 2000 and December 2011 were selected as the subject cohort. In total, the study sample comprised 145 018 patients with ADHD (mean age at a diagnosis of ADHD: 7.7 ± 3.1 years; 21.4% females). The number of cases of ADHD were calculated annually for each year (from 2000 to 2011), and the number of cases per year who received medication was determined as those with at least one record of pharmacotherapy (immediate-release methylphenidate, osmotic controlled-release formulation of methylphenidate, and atomoxetine) in each year.

RESULTS

The prevalence rates of a diagnosis of ADHD in the youths ranged from 0.11% in 2000 to 1.24% in 2011. Compared with children under 6 years of age, the ADHD diagnosis rates in children aged between 7 and 12 years (ratio of prevalence rates = 4.36) and in those aged between 13 and 18 years (ratio of prevalence rates = 1.42) were significantly higher during the study period. The prevalence in males was higher than that in females (ratio of prevalence rates = 4.09). Among the youths with ADHD, 50.2% received medications in 2000 compared with 61.0% in 2011. The probability of receiving ADHD medication increased with age. More male ADHD patients received medications that females patients (ratio of prevalence rates = 1.16).

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of ADHD diagnosis was far lower than the prevalence rate (7.5%) identified in a previous community study using face-to-face interviews. Approximately 40-50% of the youths with ADHD did not receive any medications. These findings are not consistent with a systematic public opinion about overdiagnosis or overmedication of ADHD in Taiwan.