In December, Craig Surman, MD, Director of the Adult ADHD Research Program at Mass General Hospital, co-chaired a two-day public workshop, convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’sForum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation; and Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders. The lectures (video links below) provide excellent and up-t0-date information on the treatment of adult ADHD.
Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Implications for Drug Development – A Workshop
This public workshop provided an opportunity for professionals who typically diagnose attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (e.g., physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurse practitioners, and other licensed counselors or therapists), drug developers, researchers, regulators, patients, and other stakeholders to examine the diagnosis and treatment of adults with ADHD.
The workshop featured invited presentations and discussions to:
- Discuss the criteria for diagnosis and treatment of adults with ADHD, considering health disparities and the lived experience of adults with ADHD.
- Consider what is known and unknown about the risks and benefits of ADHD medication use in adult populations.
- Share perspectives on the causes, perceptions, consequences, and health equity implications of non-medical use of prescription stimulants, including misuse potential, overdosage, and toxicity.
- Explore challenges and opportunities for the development of new and improved therapeutics for the treatment of ADHD.
- Consider potential strategies for assessing the risks and benefits of ADHD medication treatment in adult populations, including the intersection with opioid use, that support the public health goal of safely and effectively treating adults with ADHD.
Slide sets also available HERE.
Briefing Book on ADHD Workshop
WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
Craig Surman, MD
Session I: DIAGNOSIS OF ADULTS WITH ADHD
Session II: MEDICATION OPTIONS FOR ADULTS WITH ADHD: RISKS AND BENEFITS
David Goodman, MD
Session III: IMPLICATIONS FOR DRUG DEVELOPMENT
Craig Berridge, PhD
Amy Arnsten, PhD
Session V: Enabling Access to Resources and Shared Decision Making for Adults with ADHD and Their Providers
Mark Olfson, MD: Medication Treatment of Adults with ADHD
Lara Robinson, PhD, MPH: CDC Updates on Public Health Data on Adult ADHD
SESSION VI – PUBLIC HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS AND HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES FOR ADHD MEDICATION USE
Craig Surman, MD is the Director of the Adult ADHD Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on improving the assessment and treatment of ADHD in adulthood and better understanding the impact of ADHD, as well as its relationship to illnesses that are often comorbid with ADHD.
