A Call to Action: Speak Up to End the Shortage of Stimulant Medication

A Call to Action: Speak Up to End the Shortage of Stimulant Medication

Millions of Americans with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) rely on stimulant medications to manage their symptoms. However, the recent nationwide shortage has disrupted access to these essential drugs. The result has been devastating for so many people, significantly impacting daily life, causing difficulties with focus, hyperactivity, and emotional regulation.

You can help make a difference, by:

1. Engaging with Regulatory Agencies: Submitting comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) raises awareness and encourages them to advocate for increased production and distribution.

2. Contacting Your Representatives: Reach out to your U.S. Congressional Representatives to push for policies that streamline production and distribution while ensuring safeguards.

3. Communicating with the DEA: Sending a letter to the DEA expresses the urgency of the situation and highlights the need for reevaluating production quotas to ensure sufficient supply.

4. Connecting with the FDA: Contacting the FDA can encourage them to expedite the approval process for alternative or generic medications, increasing access for patients.

Use the link below to find contact information for your Representatives, form letters, and more resources to help you take action.

Addressing the Ongoing ADHD Medication Shortage: APSARD Member Featured in NBC News

Addressing the Ongoing ADHD Medication Shortage: APSARD Member Featured in NBC News

2024 APSARD Election Results

The national shortage of ADHD medications, including Adderall, Ritalin, Focalin, and Vyvanse, continues to impact millions of individuals and their families. In response, a member of APSARD, was recently featured in an NBC News article discussing the challenges and potential solutions.

Read the full article here: https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/patients-and-families-frustrated-with-years-long-adhd-drug-shortage-203743301950

Celebrating Black History Month

Celebrating Black History Month

Black History Month is celebrated throughout the United States, the UK, Canada, and Ireland, as a time to recognize the rich cultural heritage and achievements of the Black community (https://youtu.be/1JQ66r1KXxA). This year’s theme of Black Health and Wellness asks us to acknowledge not only Black scholars and practitioners of Western medicine, but also to recognize the cultural and non-medical aspects of wellness that are embraced throughout the African Diaspora (https://asalh.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2022-Black-History-Theme-Executive-Summary.pdf).

We at APSARD would like to start by honoring the trailblazers in psychology, psychiatry, and mental health advocacy https://www.mhanational.org/black-pioneers-mental-health, who took up the fight for justice and equity in the face of structural racism https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/why-black-history-month-important-psychiatry.  Among those  trailblazers are:

  • Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser, PhD,  the first Black woman to receive a PhD in psychology – https://youtu.be/WURWeITVhhs
  • Dr. Francis Cecil Sumner, PhD, the Father of Black Psychology – https://youtu.be/eKJGp3Zbjmo
  • Ms. Bebe Moor Campbell, one of the most influential Mental Health Advocates raising support and awareness for the Black community, and a best-selling author – https://youtu.be/hmoUkoOJ4Pk  https://youtu.be/qztEHdkvd6A – whose books are available as audiobooks and include, “Singing in the Comeback Choir”, “Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine”, and “72 Hour Hold”.

We want to honor those who continue their work, even as we acknowledge how much more work remains to be done. Let us consider the intersection of racial diversity, ethnic diversity, and neurodiversity offered by Dr. Loucrese Rupert, MD, a neurodivergent psychiatrist who treats ADHD and shares her experiences alongside colleagues, patients, and advocates to fight stigma https://youtu.be/oh-3ULQJiEY, in support of mental health and wellness. Let us hear from scientists like Dr. Salif Mahamane, PhD who talks about his perspectives on the cognitive science of ADHD as a man with ADHD  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWCocjh5aK0. And let us tune in to artists like Rene Brooks, author of “ADHD & More: How an ADHD Diagnosis Transformed Me”, https://blackgirllostkeys.com to learn how to connect with the people for whom we care.

Continue celebrating with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and take advantage of some of their outstanding events https://nmaahc.si.edu/events.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ADHD: What is it? Does it work?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ADHD: What is it? Does it work?

Author:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a one to one therapy, for adolescents or adults, where a therapist teaches an ADHD patient how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all interrelated and how each of these elements affects the others.   CBT emphasizes cognition, or thinking, because a major goal of this therapy is to help patients identifying thinking patterns that lead to problem behaviors.   For example, the therapist might discover that the patient frequently has negative automatic thoughts such as “I’m stupid” in challenging situations.  We call the though ‘automatic’ because it invades the patients consciousness without any effort.  Thinking “I’m stupid” can cause anxiety and depression which leads to failure.  Thus, stopping the automatic thought will modify this chain of events and, hopefully, improve the outcome from failure to success.

CBT also educates patients about their ADHD and how it affects them in important daily activities.  For example, most ADHD patients need help with activity scheduling, socializing, organizing their workspace and controlling their distractibility. By teaching specific cognitive and behavioral skills, the therapist helps the patient deal with their ADHD symptoms in a productive manner.  For example, some ADHD patients are very impulsive when conversing with others.  They don’t wait their turn during conversations and may blurt out irrelevant idea.   This can be annoying to others, especially in the context of school or business relationships.   The CBT therapist helps the patient identify these behaviors and creates strategies for avoiding them.

So, does CBT work for ADHD?  The evidence base is small, but when CBT has been used for adult ADHD, it has produced positive results in well-designed studies.   These studies typically compare patients taking ADHD medications with those taking ADHD medications and receiving CBT.   So for now, it is best to consider CBT as an adjunct to rather than a replacement for medication.  There are even fewer studies of CBT for adolescents for ADHD.  These initial studies also suggest that CBT will be useful for adolescents with ADHD who are also taking ADHD medications.  Some data suggest that CBT can be successfully applied in the classroom environment but, again, the evidence base is very small.

How can this information be used by doctors and patients for treatment planning?  Current treatment guidelines suggest starting with an ADHD medication.  After a suitable medication and dose is found, the patient and doctor should determine if any problems remain.  If so, than CBT should be considered as an adjunct to ADHD medications.

References:

Antshel, K. M. & Olszewski, A. K. (2014). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents with ADHD. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 23, 825-842.

Safren, S. A., Sprich, S., Mimiaga, M. J., Surman, C., Knouse, L., Groves, M. & Otto, M. W. (2010). Cognitive behavioral therapy vs relaxation with educational support for medication-treated adults with ADHD and persistent symptoms: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 304, 875-80.

Solanto, M. V., Marks, D. J., Wasserstein, J., Mitchell, K., Abikoff, H., Alvir, J. M. & Kofman, M. D. (2010). Efficacy of meta-cognitive therapy for adult ADHD. Am J Psychiatry 167, 958-68.

University of Pennsylvania Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program

J. Russell Ramsay, Ph.D.

Hello APSARD Members,
The APSARD Social Media and Website committee is trying out a new blog feature. We will be showcasing various clinical/clinical-research programs specializing in various aspects of the assessment and treatment of ADHD. The purpose is to highlight some of the professional activities of APSARD members and the availability of these programs as helpful resources for people with ADHD at all stages of life.
If there is such a program/clinic that you think should be featured, please send your suggestion to info@APSARD.org. Of course, it will be up to a representative of the particular clinic/program to provide the blog-overview.

 

University of Pennsylvania Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program
J. Russell Ramsay, Ph.D.

Anthony Rostain, M.A., M.D.

The University of Pennsylvania Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program was originally established during a meeting on March 8, 1999. Psychiatrist Dr. Anthony Rostain, who had previously launched the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s ADHD program, which remains a leader in the field of childhood and adolescent ADHD, approached psychologist, Dr. J. Russell Ramsay about the prospect of starting an adult ADHD specialty clinic in their department. Rostain envisioned a program offering a two-pronged intervention approach of pharmacotherapy and psychosocial treatment, namely cognitive-behavioral therapy adapted to adult ADHD. Seeing as Ramsay was (and continues to be) on the clinical staff at the Center for Cognitive Therapy at PENN, Rostain reached out to him for a potential collaboration (most likely because none of the other clinical staff had any interest in ADHD).

The initial task before accepting any referrals was to hammer out the components of a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. After discussions and consultations with colleagues from within and outside of PENN who had some experience with ADHD, an evaluation framework was set. In the ensuing years, the evaluation has undergone various additions, deletions, and other revisions but is still consistent with its initial framework and function.

Lisa Tuttle, M.A.

The team has grown over the years from a two -person operation to include an intake coordinator; a medication consultation and treatment arm that is staffed by advanced psychiatry residents who receive year-long supervised training with Dr. Rostain; and a psychosocial treatment arm staffed by advanced pre-doctoral clinicians in clinical psychology, who also handle the comprehensive diagnostic evaluation arm of the program as part of a year-long practicum experience, supervised by Dr. Ramsay. In fact, many of these trainees have gone onto use archival and other clinical data gathered through the program for their doctoral dissertation projects. More recently, in what has become the third intervention arm, Lisa Tuttle, an Adult ADHD Coach, has established a mindful self-management course, a 12-week psychoeducational skills class based that is composed of a hybrid of executive function and cognitive-behavioral coping skills.

Individuals seeking assessment and clinical services through the program undergo a comprehensive evaluation that involves a host of ADHD symptom and comoribidity inventories (including both self- and other-reports), structured clinical interviews (including SCID-5), and a brief testing battery. Results and recommendations are reviewed during a feedback session (including recommendations for individuals whose presentation does not support an ADHD diagnosis) and are summarized in a written report. Treatment options provided by the program as well as referral options to colleagues in the Greater Philadelphia region are provided. Dr. Rostain is also a certified evaluator with both Major League Baseball and the National Football League for their therapeutic use exemption programs.

JAD Table of Contents January 2018 Issue 2

J. Russell Ramsay, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine

The upcoming special issue of the Journal of Attention Disorders highlights research on the prevalence of ADHD around the world as well as throughout the lifespan. These articles are important, not only further documenting the global reach of ADHD, but also shedding light on heretofore under recognized populations of children, adolescents, and adults who may benefit from various supports and treatments — many of which will be reviewed at the APSARD conference next week in Washington, D.C. A benefit of an APSARD membership is access to this important and informative journal.

 

Click HERE to Access the January Table of Contents.