Browsing by Author "Maksniemi Marie"

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood neuropsychiatric disorders. There is a rising global recognition of consequences and impairment associated with ADHD. One of the newest area of research is the connection between ADHD and obesity. Empirically based evidence from recent literature points to a comorbidity between ADHD and obesity, at least amongst adult patients. What comes to children and adolescents there is not sufficient amount of studies to make conclusions, but the existing studies suggest that there is no discernible association of ADHD and obesity in the pre-adolescent years. The existing studies also suggest that the association of ADHD with obesity is stronger in adolescence than in childhood and that the association is stronger with adolescent girls than with adolescent boys. Gender does not seem to have any significant causation between ADHD and obesity, however some studies indicate that the causation would be stronger in women. A better insight into this comorbidity is of considerable relevance for both precautionary work and healthcare work. First, there needs to be more longitudinal studies to research the causality between ADHD and obesity. There should also be research around the different dimensions of ADHD (hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention) are connected with obesity. Finally, the therapeutic and pharmacological strategies for ADHD patients with obesity should be studied more. With the increased research data it would be possible to map out people in the risk group and therefore better target precautionary work for the right people.