"ADHD In Adults And Kids Can Be Managed With ‘Pills And Skills’" - Jeffrey Newcorn, MD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects people at every stage of life, but it can be effectively treated with an approach often summed up this way: pills and skills. Medication can help people manage ADHD, but it doesn't eradicate it. And it is a tool that works best when people are also developing life skills. Doctors estimate that four percent of American adults are living with ADHD, though most of them don't know it. “The underlying causes of ADHD are complex. We know that there is a genetic basis and that ADHD is highly heritable; we think more than one set of genes regulates ADHD, but we don’t know exactly which ones,” said Jeffrey Newcorn, MD, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics, and director of the division of ADHD, learning disabilities, and related disorders at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Poor nutrition in utero, prematurity, low birth weight, and perinatal trauma — a trauma just before or after birth — are all associated with ADHD. Lead exposure is another risk factor, though it's not involved in the majority of cases,” Dr. Newcorn added. If you suspect you may be affected, ask your primary care physician for a referral. Receiving treatment and training to manage ADHD could dramatically improve your quality of life.
- Jeffrey Newcorn, MD, Professor, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Director, Division of ADHD, Learning Disabilities and Related Disorders, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai