'I was never broken-I just don't fit in this world.' A case report series of misdiagnosed women with higher functioning ASD.

BACKGROUND: Differentiating between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) is hampered by diagnostic difficulties as there seems to be a significant overlap in symptoms. METHODS: A case series of six women with ASD and a previous diagnosis of BPD is presented. RESULTS: In retrospect, the women did not present with significant symptoms until they had developed comorbidity, which clinicians in turn misinterpreted. The missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis had significant implications for their prognosis and current level of functioning. This suggests in line with previous research, that women with higher functioning ASD are more at risk of being overlooked. CONCLUSION: It is suggested in the literature and supported by this case series that ASD should be ruled out by obtaining a thorough developmental history by an experienced clinician before considering a BPD diagnosis.

Methylphenidate for children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed and treated psychiatric disorders in childhood. Typically, children and adolescents with ADHD find it difficult to pay attention and they are hyperactive and impulsive. Methylphenidate is the psychostimulant most often prescribed, but the evidence on benefits and harms is uncertain. This is an update of our comprehensive systematic review on benefits and harms published in 2015. OBJECTIVES: To assess the beneficial and harmful effects of methylphenidate for children and adolescents with ADHD. SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, three other databases and two trials registers up to March 2022. In addition, we checked reference lists and requested published and unpublished data from manufacturers of methylphenidate. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included all randomised clinical trials (RCTs) comparing methylphenidate versus placebo or no intervention in children and adolescents aged 18 years and younger with a diagnosis of ADHD. The search was not limited by publication year or language, but trial inclusion required that 75% or more of participants had a normal intellectual quotient (IQ > 70). We assessed two primary outcomes, ADHD symptoms and serious adverse events, and three secondary outcomes, adverse events considered non-serious, general behaviour, and quality of life. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently conducted data extraction and risk of bias assessment for each trial. Six review authors including two review authors from the original publication participated in the update in 2022. We used standard Cochrane methodological procedures. Data from parallel-group trials and first-period data from cross-over trials formed the basis of our primary analyses. We undertook separate analyses using end-of-last period data from cross-over trials. We used Trial Sequential Analyses (TSA) to control for type I (5%) and type II (20%) errors, and we assessed and downgraded evidence according to the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: We included 212 trials (16,302 participants randomised); 55 parallel-group trials (8104 participants randomised), and 156 cross-over trials (8033 participants randomised) as well as one trial with a parallel phase (114 participants randomised) and a cross-over phase (165 participants randomised). The mean age of participants was 9.8 years ranging from 3 to 18 years (two trials from 3 to 21 years). The male-female ratio was 3:1. Most trials were carried out in high-income countries, and 86/212 included trials (41%) were funded or partly funded by the pharmaceutical industry. Methylphenidate treatment duration ranged from 1 to 425 days, with a mean duration of 28.8 days. Trials compared methylphenidate with placebo (200 trials) and with no intervention (12 trials). Only 165/212 trials included usable data on one or more outcomes from 14,271 participants. Of the 212 trials, we assessed 191 at high risk of bias and 21 at low risk of bias. If, however, deblinding of methylphenidate due to typical adverse events is considered, then all 212 trials were at high risk of bias. PRIMARY OUTCOMES: methylphenidate versus placebo or no intervention may improve teacher-rated ADHD symptoms (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.88 to -0.61; I² = 38%; 21 trials; 1728 participants; very low-certainty evidence). This corresponds to a mean difference (MD) of -10.58 (95% CI -12.58 to -8.72) on the ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS; range 0 to 72 points). The minimal clinically relevant difference is considered to be a change of 6.6 points on the ADHD-RS. Methylphenidate may not affect serious adverse events (risk ratio (RR) 0.80, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.67; I² = 0%; 26 trials, 3673 participants; very low-certainty evidence). The TSA-adjusted intervention effect was RR 0.91 (CI 0.31 to 2.68). SECONDARY OUTCOMES: methylphenidate may cause more adverse events considered non-serious versus placebo or no intervention (RR 1.23, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.37; I² = 72%; 35 trials 5342 participants; very low-certainty evidence). The TSA-adjusted intervention effect was RR 1.22 (CI 1.08 to 1.43). Methylphenidate may improve teacher-rated general behaviour versus placebo (SMD -0.62, 95% CI -0.91 to -0.33; I² = 68%; 7 trials 792 participants; very low-certainty evidence), but may not affect quality of life (SMD 0.40, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.83; I² = 81%; 4 trials, 608 participants; very low-certainty evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The majority of our conclusions from the 2015 version of this review still apply. Our updated meta-analyses suggest that methylphenidate versus placebo or no-intervention may improve teacher-rated ADHD symptoms and general behaviour in children and adolescents with ADHD. There may be no effects on serious adverse events and quality of life. Methylphenidate may be associated with an increased risk of adverse events considered non-serious, such as sleep problems and decreased appetite. However, the certainty of the evidence for all outcomes is very low and therefore the true magnitude of effects remain unclear. Due to the frequency of non-serious adverse events associated with methylphenidate, the blinding of participants and outcome assessors is particularly challenging. To accommodate this challenge, an active placebo should be sought and utilised. It may be difficult to find such a drug, but identifying a substance that could mimic the easily recognised adverse effects of methylphenidate would avert the unblinding that detrimentally affects current randomised trials. Future systematic reviews should investigate the subgroups of patients with ADHD that may benefit most and least from methylphenidate. This could be done with individual participant data to investigate predictors and modifiers like age, comorbidity, and ADHD subtypes.

Remarkable high frequency of insecure attachment in children with ADHD persists in a three-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Studies have pointed to a complicated and mutual relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attachment. In an observational follow-up study conducted in 2015 60 children from 7 years to 12 years recently diagnosed with ADHD were included and assessed according to attachment representation showing 85% of the children to be insecurely attached. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the stability of this remarkably high frequency of insecure attachment in the same cohort of children. METHODS: Children previously assessed using the child attachment interview (CAI) when diagnosed with ADHD were contacted three years later for a follow-up CAI assessment. RESULTS: At follow-up, 31 children participated in the CAI-interviews. Since their diagnosis with ADHD, the children had received treatment as usual. The CAI-interviews showed a continued high rate of insecure attachment with 90% of the children classifying as insecurely attached compared to expected 38% in the normal population. Of these, the majority of children (77%) were classified as dismissing. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that targeting ADHD-symptoms with our current treatment strategies does not in itself improve attachment security. Attachment security may in turn be a factor of importance when evaluating general functioning and prognosis.

Can attachment predict core and comorbid symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder beyond executive functions and emotion regulation?

OBJECTIVE: Previous findings propose an association between attachment and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the predictive ability of attachment beyond deficits in executive functioning (EF) and emotion regulation is understudied. METHOD: Using a dimensional perspective, we examined the longitudinal role of attachment on ADHD and comorbid symptoms, accounting for EF and emotion regulation. The sample consisted of 84 children (aged 8-13 years), oversampled for ADHD symptoms (42% had a diagnosis of ADHD). We assessed attachment with the Child Attachment Interview, EF with laboratory tests, and emotion regulation with parental ratings. Parents and teachers rated symptoms at baseline (T1) and at follow-up 2 years later (T2). RESULTS: Attachment insecurity was positively correlated with ADHD symptoms at T2 but with no unique contribution to symptoms beyond EF and emotion regulation. In contrast, poor EF and emotion regulation contributed to more ADHD and ODD/CD symptoms at T2. Poor emotion regulation contributed to more anxiety at T2. CONCLUSIONS: The results have important implications for understanding the mechanisms underpinning symptom expression in middle childhood/early adolescence and may guide the search for tailored interventions to reduce and prevent symptoms. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Executive functions and emotion regulation should be explored as targets for intervention in personalized treatment. The current results do not support attachment as a target for intervention at a group level, although this does not rule out that individuals/families with attachment difficulties may benefit from training programmes promoting secure attachment bonds.

Mothers of Children Diagnosed with ADHD: A Descriptive Study of Maternal Experience during the First Three Years of Treatment.

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most common childhood psychiatric disorder. Current treatment strategies do not provide a convincing improvement on overall functioning, and further, reciprocity between ADHD and attachment has been suggested. This suggests that we do not fully comprehend the mechanisms of the disorder. This study was part of a larger project investigating factors of potential importance when a child is diagnosed with ADHD. Aim: In this current study we aimed to gain a clearer understanding about whether the mothers experienced the diagnostic process and treatment as helpful. Method: Sixty children newly diagnosed with ADHD and their mothers were included three years prior to this study. Fifty-two (87%) completed a survey about their experience with the diagnostic process and the years after in the psychiatric system and the secondary healthcare sector. Forty-three had also participated in an attachment interview in the original study and answered questions about this. Discussion: The follow-up questionnaire was based on conversations with the mothers was not meant to be used as a quantitative measure. However, one point to take is that the mothers did often not feel the help offered to be sufficient. In our opinion, this underlines that we are still far from understanding what ADHD is and what causes the differences in developmental trajectories as well as how differences in etiological factors may call for more customized approaches in treatment strategies.

Attachment and Epigenetics: A Scoping Review of Recent Research and Current Knowledge.

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic research has pointed to that the interaction between genetics and environmental factors may play a role in making some individuals more vulnerable than others. AIM: The aim of this article was to present a broad perspective on the current state of knowledge in a relatively new and complex field of "attachment and epigenetic processes." METHOD: We conducted a scoping review based on a systematic literature search in PsycINFO, PubMed, and Embase databases for relevant abstracts using the terms attachment and epigenet*. RESULTS: In total, 11 studies were included. Research predating 2009 and animal studies were excluded in order to review the current state of research in humans. CONCLUSION: Overall, there seems to be a consistency in the literature, pointing to a link between early childhood adversity, attachment processes, and epigenetic changes. However, research in human subjects is still limited.

Mapping factors facilitating resilience in mothers - potential clinical relevance for children with ADHD.

Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobiological disorders in childhood. Maternal resilience has been linked to treatment outcome in child ADHD. However, not much is known about factors that may facilitate maternal resilience.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore factors potentially facilitating resilience in mothers to children with ADHD.Method: The current study was part of a naturalistic observational study. 64 mothers to children diagnosed with ADHD completed a set of questionnaires and a short protocol including demographic and psychosocial items. Correlation matrix were estimated for each of the scores to establish the relationship between them.Results: We found significant negative correlations between maternal self-reported attachment style and self-reported resilience and between self-reported ADHD-symptoms and resilience-score.Conclusion: The findings indicate that selected factors in maternal functioning may contribute to development of resilience, which may in turn be a factor of importance in parenting.

Attachment as a Core Feature of Resilience: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Research has pointed to secure attachment as a possible key factor of resilience in adulthood. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the role of secure attachment as a potential core feature in the properties of resilience. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review in accordance with PRISMA guidelines followed by a meta-analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies were included in the review, and 10 of these, including 2305 subjects, were used for meta-analysis. The raw correlation coefficients ranged from .20 to .57, which indicated weak to moderate correlations between resilience and attachment. The synthesized correlation coefficients indicated that the correlations were significant and highly unlikely to be due to random variation. All studies are also reported on qualitatively. CONCLUSIONS: In both of our meta-analyses and in the narratively reported studies, we found that secure attachment is associated with the presence of resilience.