The ADHD Evidence Project

International Consensus Statement

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.

208

Statements about ADHD strongly supported by medical research.

80

Authors from 27 countries wrote the Consensus Statement.

366

Colleagues who have read and endorsed this manuscript.

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Non-medication treatments for ADHD are less effective than medication treatments for ADHD symptoms, but are frequently useful to help problems that remain after medication has been optimized."
The stimulant medications for ADHD are more effective than non stimulant medications but are also more likely to be diverted, misused, and abused."
The adverse effects of medications for ADHD are typically mild and can be addressed by changing the dose or the medication."
Treatment with ADHD medications reduces accidental injuries,traumatic brain injury, substance abuse, cigarette smoking, educational underachievement, bone fractures, sexually transmitted infections, depression, suicide, criminal activity, and teenage pregnancy."
Regulatory agencies around the world have determined that several medications are safe and effective for reducing the symptoms of ADHD as shown by randomized controlled clinical trials."
Studies of economic burden show that ADHD costs society hundreds of billions of dollars each year, worldwide."
People with ADHD are at increased risk for low quality of life, substance use disorders, accidental injuries, educational underachievement, unemployment, gambling, teenage pregnancy, difficulties socializing, delinquency, suicide, and premature death."
People with ADHD are at increased risk for obesity, asthma, allergies, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, sleep problems, psoriasis, epilepsy, sexually transmitted infections, abnormalities of the eye, immune disorders, and metabolic disorders."
Neuro imaging studies find small differences in the structure and functioning of the brain between people with and without ADHD. These differences cannot be used to diagnose ADHD."
People with ADHD often show impaired performance on psychological tests of brain functioning, but these tests cannot be used to diagnose ADHD."
ADHD is rarely caused by a single genetic or environmental risk factor but most cases of ADHD are caused by the combined effects of many genetic and environmental risks each having a very small effect."
ADHD is more common in males and occurs in 5.9% of youth and 2.5% of adults. It has been found in studies from Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and North America."
When made by a licensed clinician, the diagnosis of ADHD is well-defined and valid at all ages, even in the presence of other psychiatric disorders, which is common."
Regulatory agencies around the world have determined that several medications are safe and effective for reducing the symptoms of ADHD as shown by randomized controlled clinical trials."

Recently Asked
Questions

Questions from My Latest Reddit AMA

How would you define "Sensory overload" as it pertains to ADHD?

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.

I'm a clinical psychologist researcher who has studied ADHD for three decades. Ask me anything about the nature, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.

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.

Do any particular food/food groups exacerbate 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.

what do you think is the easiest route for adults newly learning they have adhd to help treat themselves without a million steps that will inevitably leave them giving up and never actually helping (asking for a friend definitely not me)

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.

What is the evidence that a low sugar or sugar free diet improves adhd symptoms?

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.

Do you have any pearls of wisdom that you think managers who manage employees with ADHD should know?

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.

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“The adverse effects of medications for ADHD are typically mild and can be addressed by changing the dose or the medication.”