Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Research Interests and Priorities

In the past two weeks, a federal government agency and a sister medical association have asked CHADD about our research interests and priorities related to AD/HD. Below is the list of 20 AD/HD research interests that we have tentatively identified.

1. Gene-Environment Interaction
2. Gene Risk Factors
3. Biogenetic Markers
4. Executive Functioning
5. Neurocognitive Deficits Associated with AD/HD
6. Brain Research Integrating Neurology and Psychiatry
7. Longitudinal Neuroimaging Research
8. Chart Trajectories to Determine Interventions
9. Lifespan Dynamics and Characteristics
10. Impairment Index
11. Mental Disorders as Developmental Disorders
12. Personalizing Interventions
13. Impact of Culture, Race, Etc. (including disparities and possible differential medication impact)
14. Translate Research to Practice (and Public Health)
15. Core Features of AD/HD versus Comorbidity Features
16. Autism-AD/HD Interface
17. Efficacy of Neurofeedback
18. Outreach to National Center on Complementary and Alternative Medicine
19. Patient Perspective into Evidence-Based Practice (including the lived experience)
20. Evidence Base of CHADD's Parent to Parent Program

Many of these topics are discussed in some depth in our National Resource Center on AD/HD (NRC) website and in the public policy section of CHADD's website.

Your questions, observations, and commentary will be very helpful as we refine the list.

Clarke

You can read this blog and others like it at the HealthCentral website.

4 comments:

Katharine O'Moore-Klopf said...

I'd like to see much more research done on the effects of ADHD on family relationships: (1) between parent and child and (2) between partner and partner.

Anonymous said...

I would like to see research on what are the best practical clinical treatment practices and guidelines for each age group across the lifespan and what is the most cost effective way to provide those treatments and services in our reformed health care world. And how mental health parity translates into be.tter care over the next few years

Unknown said...

I am new to this blog. It would be great if I can just click on some of the findings to have more explanations.
My 18 year old freshman, just got confirmed with ADHD. It explains a lot of her behavior and I learned a lot.
But...what can I do to improve my family relationships? How can I make live with her and my other kids livable as well as my husband?
I need help before she moves out and gives up on ollege.

Oren Mason M.D. said...

Research into symptom reduction is the norm in ADHD, but it generates little attention or respect in the eyes of policy-makers. Research into improved outcomes is rare in ADHD, common in other chronic medical conditions. (Cholesterol-lowering medications have always been known to lower cholesteral, but they achieved widespread use only after they were found to reduce heart attacks.)

ADHD research needs to demonstrate treatment strategies that improve academic outcomes, decrease motor vehicle accident rates, decrease substance use disorders, lower medical costs and improve job retention. Continued focus on research that has "symptom reduction" as an endpoint will not attract funding for treatment.