Top 10 ADHD News & Research Headlines of 2024
This year, we learned that ADHD misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment in adulthood stem from poor diagnostic criteria. We saw Vyvanse increase production—and ADHD stimulant prices similarly rise. And we received confirmation that hormonal fluctuations exacerbate ADHD symptoms. Here, read all of the top news and research headlines of 2024, according to ADDitude editors.
1. Adult ADHD Guidelines Forthcoming
The diagnostic criteria for ADHD are largely based on studies of young white boys — and do not reflect the lived experiences of many adults with the condition. This gap between clinical guidance and real-life symptoms has contributed to a decades-long problem with misdiagnosis, missed diagnoses, and inadequate treatment for individuals who slipped under the ADHD radar in childhood.
ADHD persists into adulthood for up to 90% of children with the condition, however, only 33% of pediatricians, 30% of family practitioners, 25% of nurse practitioners, and 22% of internists said that they received adequate training on ADHD in medical school, according to data presented by the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) at its 2024 conference. APSARD is now working to remedy this obstacle to care with the first-ever guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adults. In 2023, it established a 27-member task force that is devising clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adults. According to David Goodman, M.D., who is leading the medical subcommittee for the task force, the adult ADHD guidelines have the greatest chance at widespread adoption if they are research-based, clinically informed, and patient-focused. APSARD hopes to publish the guidelines in 2025.
Continue reading “The State of Adult ADHD Today” to learn more.
2. ADHD Medication Use Lowers the Risk of Death, Hospitalization
Treating ADHD with medication can lower the overall risk of mortality by 19% and overdose by 50%. It also reduces hospitalizations, both psychiatric and non-psychiatric, according to two large-scale Swedish studies.1, 2 These findings highlight the importance of ADHD medication use for long-term health and longevity, underscoring the urgent need to end the stimulant shortage that has prevented U.S. patients with ADHD from consistently accessing medication since the Fall of 2022.
Continue reading “ADHD Medication Use Lowers the Risk of Death, Hospitalization” to learn more.
3. Massive Study Ties Leaded Gasoline Exposure to 150 Million Mental Health Diagnoses in U.S.
Leaded gasoline and exposure to its exhaust may help explain an estimated 151 million U.S. cases of psychiatric disorders, including ADHD, depression, and anxiety, according to a new cross-sectional study spanning the last 75 years.
Exposure to leaded gasoline from car exhaust was tied to population-wide cases of mental health disorders from 1940 to 2015 in the study, published in December in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.3 It estimated that more than half of the current U.S. population was exposed to harmful levels of lead in childhood, resulting in profound effects on their mental health, personality traits, and overall well-being. People born between 1966 and 1986 (referred to as Generation X) experienced the highest rate of lead exposure and are at the greatest risk for anxiety, depression, ADHD, and personality changes.
Continue reading “Massive Study Ties Leaded Gasoline Exposure to 150 Million Mental Health, ADHD Diagnoses in U.S.” to learn more.
4. High and Low Estrogen Exacerbate ADHD Symptoms in Females
The impact of rising and falling hormone levels on ADHD symptoms is compounded for females beginning in puberty, according to the multiple hormone sensitivity theory explained in a review article published in January in Hormones and Behavior.4 The theory offers valuable insight into how hormones — namely, high and low estrogen levels — may influence ADHD symptoms in females across the lifespan, including during the menstrual cycle, puberty, pregnancy, and menopause.
Per the theory, females may be more likely to engage in risk-taking and reward-seeking behaviors in the days leading up to ovulation. These behaviors coincide with a steady rise in estrogen levels that drops off during ovulation. In contrast, withdrawal and/or depletion of estrogen at a cycle’s end may be characterized by increased negative affect, avoidant behaviors, and reduced executive functioning.
Continue reading “High and Low Estrogen Exacerbate ADHD Symptoms in Females: New Theory.” to learn more.
5. ADHD Medication Costs Soar
ADHD medication costs have nearly doubled or tripled for doses of Ritalin, Concerta, and Focalin since the Adderall shortage began in October 2022, according to a report published in USA Today in late 2023. The newspaper analyzed the prices that retail community pharmacies pay for common ADHD prescriptions. For specific dosages of methylphenidate (i.e., Ritalin and Concerta), the average price paid by small to mid-sized independent and chain pharmacies nearly doubled from late 2022 to December 2023. The average cost of certain versions of dexmethylphenidate (Focalin) more than doubled during that period.
Continue reading “ADHD Medication Costs Soar: Price Report” to learn more.
6. ADHD Traits May Have Provided an Evolutionary Advantage
ADHD traits such as distractibility and impulsivity may have benefited our ancestors as they foraged for food, and they continue to play a crucial role in how people with ADHD adapt and survive, suggests research published in February in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences.5
“We speculate that ADHD serves as an adaptive specialization for foraging, thus explaining its widespread prevalence and continued persistence in the human population,” the researchers said. “This tendency to explore while foraging might extend to other behaviors such as cycling more frequently between information sources in the classroom or sources of stimulation in the home environment.”
Continue reading “ADHD Traits May Have Provided an Evolutionary Advantage” to learn more.
7.
In June, the Justice Department charged two top officers at the telehealth company Done Global with allegedly distributing Adderall and other stimulants for ADHD to patients who officials said did not merit a proper diagnosis. While health officials warned that the “disruption” to Done could affect as many as 50,000 adult patients6, many of whom were already impacted by the ongoing ADHD medication shortage, this criminal action highlights another important issue: the limited access to clinical care for people with ADHD in the United States.
Continue reading “Done ADHD Investigation Sparks Worry of Inadequate Care” to learn more.
8. Boredom Triggers High Stress Response in Impulsive People
Boredom causes a heightened stress response in impulsive people, as evidenced by the elevated cortisol levels documented in research published in Physiology & Behavior in October.7 The research deepens the scientific community’s understanding of the interplay between impulsivity and boredom, suggesting that this relationship may be mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
“This research suggests that the lived experience of boredom feels more intense and aversive for people who are highly impulsive, transforming into an overwhelming need to escape that boredom,” explained Matt Parker, Ph.D., the study’s senior author and a neuroscientist at the University of Surrey.
Continue reading “Boredom Triggers High Stress Response in Impulsive People: New Study” to learn more.
9. DEA OKs Expanded Production of the ADHD Medication Vyvanse
Vyvanse and its generic equivalents (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) became more readily available at pharmacies following a decision in September by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to allow expanded production of the stimulant medication used to treat ADHD and moderate-to-severe binge-eating disorder (BED) in adults. The DEA approved a 24% production increase in response to the ongoing stimulant shortage.
“These adjustments are necessary to ensure that the United States has an adequate and uninterrupted supply of lisdexamfetamine to meet legitimate patient needs both domestically and globally,” the DEA said in a letter on September 5.
Continue reading “Vyvanse Shortage Update: DEA OKs Expanded Production of the ADHD Medication” to learn more.
10. ADHD Medication Prescriptions Spiked Ahead of Adderall Shortage
Prescriptions for ADHD medications increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for women and for adults aged 20-39, according to a study published in January in JAMA Psychiatry. The most significant increases were found among prescriptions for adults aged 20-39, up 81% for non-stimulants and 30% for stimulants; and for women, up 59% for non-stimulants and 25% for stimulants.8 By contrast, researchers found a decrease or no change in rates of prescriptions during the pandemic for medications used to treat other behavioral health disorders, including anxiety, depression, and opioid use disorders.
Continue reading “ADHD Medication Prescriptions Spiked Ahead of Adderall Shortage: New Report” to learn more.
View Article Sources
1Li, L., Zhu, N., Zhang, L., et al. (2024). ADHD Pharmacotherapy and Mortality in Individuals With ADHD. JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.0851
2Tipale, H., Bergström, J., Gèmes, K., et al. (2024). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medications and Work Disability and Mental Health Outcomes. JAMA Netw Open. 7(3):e242859. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.2859
3McFarland, M.J., Reuben, A. and Hauer, M. (2024). Contribution of Childhood Lead Exposure to Psychopathology in the US Population Over the Past 75 Years. J Child Psychol Psychiatr.https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14072
4Eng, A.G., Nirjar, U., Elkins, A.R., Sizemore, Y.J., Monticello, K.N., Petersen, M.K., Miller, S.A., Barone, J., Eisenlohr-Moul, T.A., & Martel, M.M. (2024). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Menstrual Cycle: Theory and Evidence. Hormones and Behavior. 158(105466).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105466
5Barack, D.L., Ludwig, V.U., Parodi, F., Ahmed, N., Brannon, E.M., Ramakrishnan, A.M., and Platt, M.L. (2024). Attention Deficits Linked with Proclivity to Explore While Foraging. Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2584
6CDC. Disrupted Access to Prescription Stimulant Medications Could Increase Risk of Injury and Overdose. June 13, 2024. https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2024/han00510.asp
7 Clay, J.M., Badariotti, J.I., Kozhushko, N., Parker, M.O. (2024). HPA Activity Mediates the Link Between Trait Impulsivity and Boredom. Physiology & Behavior. 284, 114637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114637
8Chai, G., Xu, J., Goyal S, et al. (2024). Trends in Incident Prescriptions for Behavioral Health Medications in the US, 2018-2022. JAMA Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.5045
