Media Advisory: To contact Laurence Greenhill, M.D., contact Dacia Morris at 212-543-5421 or at morrisd@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu. On the day of the briefing, call the AMA’s Science News Department at 312-464-2410.

WASHINGTON— Because many symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be present in normal children at an early age, it should only be diagnosed after a thorough professional evaluation, according to child and adolescent psychiatrist Laurence Greenhill, M.D.

"ADHD is a behavior and cognitive disorder that begins early in childhood and affects between five and eight percent of primary school age children," said Dr. Greenhill, Ruane Professor, Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Professor, Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University; Director, Research Unit on Pediatric Psychopharmacology, New York State Psychiatric Institute; New York, N.Y. Dr. Greenhill spoke today about his recently completed research project in preschool children with ADHD at the American Medical Association’s 23rd A nnual Science Reporters Conference in Washington D.C.

"The kinds of symptoms we look for include trouble paying attention, being easily distracted, frequently losing things, making careless mistakes or being impulsive. Kids with ADHD often have problems listening, following instructions or finishing work. They may often fidget and squirm in class or leave their seats and run around the room," Dr. Greenhill said.

"Any of these symptoms by themselves may be perfectly normal," he said. "What we look for is a collection of symptoms that interferes with the child’s ability to function, either at home, in school or with their friends. It’s important to get an early diagnosis because if ADHD is not diagnosed until adolescence it can lead to academic failure, low self-esteem, motor vehicle accidents and an increased risk for substance abuse."

"ADHD is a very active area of research. In the past 10 years, the pharmaceutical industry has grown the ADHD medication treatment market from a several million dollar market to over two billion dollars each year," Dr. Greenhill said. "There has been increasing work on developing new, longer duration treatments that can be administered once a day by the parent."

According to Dr. Greenhill, the most effective way to treat ADHD is through a combination of psycho stimulant medications in the context of behaviorally oriented parent training and behavioral therapy.

"ADHD is a real illness, but the good news is that it ’s treatable, even in children as young as three to five years old," Dr. Greenhill said. "Treatment often includes medication, but medication alone is rarely an adequate or ideal intervention. Children almost always do better with a combination of treatment approaches. Even if the condition is purely biological, by the time most children get help there are secondary issues—self-esteem issues, school issues and problems in the family. They need help working these issues through to minimize lasting effects. Further, we now know that ADHD actually continues into adulthood for as many as half of the children with the condition."

Dr. Greenhill concluded, "ADHD is a common and chronic disorder that does not go away, but our long experience with various medications gives us a very good sense of how best to use them safely with the best possible outcome for the patient."

Editor’s Note: Dr. Greenhill has received grant support from Novartis Pharmaceutical, Cephalon Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly & Co., and McNeil.  He has received honoraria from and/or serves on speakers bureaus for Shire Laboratories, Inc., McNeil Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly & Co., Janssen Pharmaceutical, Cephalon Pharmaceutical, and Novartis Pharmaceutical.  Dr. Greenhill has received an honorarium from the American Medical Association to speak at today's briefing.