Now for those of you like me who were wondering what exactly that means, let me explain it to you. SUDs is when a person either uses or has dependence upon a substance such as drugs or alcohol and because of that use there are behavioral, mental and physical changes. The study focused on patients with or without ADHD that also had SUDs. The point of the study was to see if having ADHD really made a difference. ADHD is defined as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and has symptoms including but not limited to not being able to focus, inability to control their behavior as well as over activity. The study was conducted in seven different European countries including Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Spain and Hungary. All of the participants in the study were either inpatient or outpatients at clinics where they were being treated for substance use disorders and were asked to willingly participate in the study by the clinicians. Multiple types of interviews were used to gather important information such as what was the primary drug used and to test for adult ADHD. The test for adult ADHD was the Conner's Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV. This test looked at things such as the age of onset, how many symptoms and impairment. This test also looked at difficulties during childhood such as temper control issues and social issues. This study included 1205 SUDs patients, 196 of which both had SUDs and ADHD as an adult. In this sample group the main substance used by the participants was alcohol, followed by cannabis and other drugs. The study looked at many different topics for their results. Patients with SUDs and ADHD had slower development in infancy with things such as walking, and talking when compared to those in the study without ADHD. Patients with ADHD also showed a higher rating for temper control, difficulties in school and behavioral issues. The study also made a point to say that gender of the patient only seemed to effect issues with elementary school, where boys had a more difficult time than girls. Otherwise the gender of the patient was not relevant to the data. In the group of patients that had ADHD and SUDs, the primary substance that was used was illicit drugs, which can be drugs that are forbidden by either law, rules or culture. Out of the 12% of the patients in the study that were diagnosed as having ADHD as well as SUDs, only 4% were treated for the ADHD as children. It was interesting that out of those with ADHD and SUDs, that one third of those patients admitted to using central stimulants as their primary substance. This suggests that those patients who were not treated as children for ADHD were basically self prescribing the stimulants to try and manage their ADHD, which otherwise was not being treated. Based on this study I think that people in the medical field need to take ADHD more seriously and that early diagnosis can help prevent substance abuse according to this studies' findings. If more people are properly treated for ADHD in youth, not only can it prevent improper drug use, it can help those children focus better in school and help with social and behavioral issues. As a parent I can say that all any parent wants is the best future for their child and that early diagnosis of ADHD gives any child with ADHD a better chance at a successful future where they can blossom and grow.
The following sources were used as sources for this blog for definitions and information. It also includes the research article itself.
Works Cited
"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)." NIMH RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.
Frustrated little boy. Digital image. Potential Within Reach. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2015. <https://potentialwithinreach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/adhd_school.jpg>.
"Illicit." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.
Skutle, Arvid. "Early Developmental, Temperamental and Educational Problems in." Elsevier Addictive Behavior Reports (2015): 13-18. Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
"Www.mentalhealth.gov." Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.
Hi Jackie, why do you think early diagnosis is difficult? Do you think it is hard to tell the difference between a child that has a lot of energy and one that has ADHD? I always just assumed that not diagnosing at early ages was due to the lack of attention to the signs of ADHD (by parents and/or doctors) until the child was old enough to be noticeably effected by it (typically at a much later age). What are your thoughts?
ReplyDeleteAs a mother of a three year old i can tell you that sometimes their behavior makes you question if they are ADHD. Children at a young age are so active and crazy sometimes that i think it would be nearly impossible to categorize it as just natural energy or ADHD. Kids are typically all over the place until they get older.
DeleteUnfortunately early diagnosis is so important for allowing the child to learn and develop normally. Doctors were worried about my brother when he was younger and jumped to diagnose him with ADHD. They wanted to make sure that he was able to continue to develop 'normally'. A few years later a different doctor told my parents that he was just an energetic young child. Doctors need to be careful not to diagnose children to young because it is so hard to determine whether they are in fact ADHD or just energetic.
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ReplyDeleteAccording to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older (9.4% of the population) had used an illicit drug in the past month in 2013. Also, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 11% of children ages 4-17 were diagnosed with ADHD as of 2011, which is 6.4 million people. Was this study more focused on ADHD or substance abuse? Maybe I am misunderstanding this, but it seems like the scientists are just interviewing people with SUDs and seeing if they have ADHD too. What types of interviews were conducted that would indicate ADHD? It seems like this study looked at a lot of different factors that played a role in developing ADHD and SUDs such as gender, infancy development, and behavior patterns. It would be interesting to know how many people were observed in this study to see if it was a large enough sample size to be statistically significant. More research needs to be conducted regarding this topic because we really need to find a way to be able to diagnose children with ADHD so they can be properly treated. It was very interesting how children who not diagnosed with ADHD were using central stimulants to try and manage their symptoms and try to heed their dependency on illicit drugs.
ReplyDeleteAt least with how i looked at it, the study seemed to focus on patients with SUDs to see if ADHD had an effect on them becoming dependent. I think that what they were trying to show is that ADHD is not something to be taken lightly because many of those who were ADHD only took the drugs or substance to control the ADHD that was never diagnosed. The symptoms were making it hard for them to function normally so the substance dependency came out of trying to subdue those symptoms
DeleteADHD is a really difficult disorder. Working in a pharmacy I see children on prescriptions for ADHD constantly. It can be really difficult to get used to a medication, in both children and adults. Dosing is constantly changing and the medications often stop working after extended use. It usually takes months for doctors to get a correct diagnosis of ADHD and it often takes even longer for the correct medication, dosage and directions to begin. I agree with Shawna that this disorder can be difficult to diagnose at an early age. Lots of energy is common in children, I'm sure you know! Many doctors are also hesitant to put children on medications at an early age. ADHD is very serious but can also be very difficult to recognize in young children. It is also interesting to see a connection between SUDs and ADHD!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with the fact that ADHD is so hard to diagnose and treat. At one point when discussing this with my parents they let me know that when i was younger that plenty of my teachers thought i was ADHD but when consulting with my doctors, they suggested i was just a very talkative and energetic child. It is all a part of your personality and youth. I think that is why doctors are hesistant to prescribe medication to younger children because how can they really be sure if someone is ADHD or just outgoing like i was. I can tell you that as i have grown into a mature adult that while i still talk all the time, that i am not nearly as energetic as i was in my youth when people were concerned.
DeleteOver medicating children is so common in today's society. Many parents want their children to just sit still and act like mini adults. In order to achieve this they turn to doctors that are sometimes too quick to diagnose ADHD. As a result these kids take multiple medications a day and end up losing the energy that children are meant to have.
DeleteIt is interesting that 1/3 of the patients admitted to using central stimulants as their primary substance for abuse. I wonder if these drugs helped to manage their ADHD symptoms, or just simply made them worse. Often, when these stimulants such as Ritalin are prescribed, they are done so in very small dosages. Taking these drugs illegally could foster more hyperactive behaviors rather than helping the issue. Also, it is also interesting to note that other substances that were abused were alcohol and cannabis, which are depressants. It seems like an over-generalization that people with ADHD have a correlation with SUDs, and rather the researchers should look more into their personalities and perform cognitive studies to examine if their environment or interactions contributes to the SUDs.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is important for people with ADHD to be diagnosed early so that they can be provided with the best care. However, not only did people with ADHD reported using stimulants but the main drug was alcohol, which is a depressant. This study should compare people without ADHD and the use of SUDs versus people with ADHD and the use of SUDs to see if it is significant.
ReplyDeleteDiagnosis of ADHD in children seems to be a pretty difficult process. It is definitely important for them to get the treatment they need; however, I think a lot of people are quick to turn to medication as the solution. Children are hyperactive by nature and tend to grow out of it as they get older. I agree that there are certain cases where it is absolutely necessary for the child to be medicated in order to function, but I don't think this is the case for every child who displays hyperactive tendencies. Sometimes the positives do not outweigh the negatives and the affects end up turning the child into a completely new person. I know many people who have told their doctor that they have difficulty concentrating on school work and then end up with a prescription of adderall. Before reading this I had never heard of any correlation between ADHD and SUDs. I think more research needs to be done to prove the legitimacy of this relationship.
ReplyDeleteIt seems very difficult to make the correct diagnosis for ADHD at a young age. On one hand, you don't want to miss the diagnosis, however at the same time you don't want to incorrectly diagnose either. As mentioned, there doesn't seem to be a very good way to determine whether the child has ADHD or is just very energetic. But, if the child does not have ADHD, it would not be good to prescribe them medication. I wonder if the children that were not diagnosed with ADHD at a young age would have still had SUDs if they were correctly diagnosed earlier. If we could find a way to definitively diagnose ADHD, maybe it would lower the rate of SUDs.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that these studies were done in European countries. There are definitely many social differences in the way that youth are raised in the countries where this study took place versus here in the United States. I would be interested to see what their finding would be if a similar study was to be conducted here. When it comes to diagnosing psychological disorders, such as ADHD, there are only guidelines physicians can go by to try to determine what the problem may be, and with no black and white answer or legitimate tests that can definitively pin down a diagnoses, I am overall wary of their findings. The study was done with adults and I am uneasy with their results also because they determined whether or not these adults had ADHD as a child just by asking them questions about their behavior during their childhood. That does not seem like a reliable or accurate way to gain insight into what each of these individuals was like when they were younger. I do agree with the comments made above, that if a child does have ADHD symptoms, they should not be ignored because it would most definitely hinder a child's ability to succeed. However, once again there is the glaring problem of over prescribing medication, especially with something that will sort itself out naturally over time as the child matures.
ReplyDeleteI find this topic very intriguing that substance abuse is correlated to ADHD and other developmental disorders for both adults and children. When we think about a mother abusing drugs while pregnant first we worry about the infant's development, whether they will survive or be deformed, or have a dependency on that substance when born. We may not always think that the infant could also have a mental disability from parent's drug use before or after pregnancy. This is very eye opening and a great reminder to be careful of what you are ingesting because you are not eating or drinking alone when they are pregnant.
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