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> stimulant-based treatment of ADHD in childhood and adolescence does cause significant changes in brain structure. In a good way. I've seen the literature sho

> stimulant-based treatment of ADHD in childhood and adolescence does cause significant changes in brain structure. In a good way. I've seen the literature showing evidence of reduced depression and suicide rates in at-risk adolescents who undergo long-term treatment with Ritalin and closely related drugs. Are you aware of any literature beyond that? If so please cite the sources here so we can all learn. I have yet to see any conclusive evidence that the induced changes in brain structure and function are always 'good', and the previous citations I provided present evidence that counters your claim. > if administered to a healthy child who has inappropriately been diagnosed with ADHD, our data indicates that administering the drug may induce persistent changes of dopamine-dependent behaviours that can have detrimental consequences [3] FWIW we're in agreement that long-term treatment with these medications can be helpful for people who genuinely need it. But diagnosing ADHD isn't an exact science [4][5], hence the caution I've been advocating. [4] ADHD: Is Objective Diagnosis Possible? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2993524/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2993524/ [5] Prevalence of Parent-Reported ADHD Diagnosis and Associated Treatment Among U.S. Children and Adolescents, 2016 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5834391/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5834391/

wswope 5y ago
I take your point that diagnosis is problematic. The [3] source you’re quoting is basically demonstrating that chronic exposure to a dopamine agonist leads to downregulation, which isn’t exactly surprising. The sentence immediately before the one you’re quoting is a very important qualifier as well. No snark intended, there’s so much out there that the best resource I know to recommend is the citations section of the Amphetamine Wikipedia page (ex: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/1485446 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/...).

wswope 5y ago

I take your point that diagnosis is problematic. The [3] source you’re quoting is basically demonstrating that chronic exposure to a dopamine agonist leads to downregulation, which isn’t exactly surprising. The sentence immediately before the one you’re quoting is a very important qualifier as well. No snark intended, there’s so much out there that the best resource I know to recommend is the citations section of the Amphetamine Wikipedia page (ex: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/1485446 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/...).