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Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) a "brain disorder"? Should it be managed regularly with stimulant drugs? This article critically examines the evolving biomedical discourse surrounding these questions through a close inspection of the latest edition of the influential psychiatric manual - the DSM-5-TR - as well as additional authoritative sources (e.g., previous DSM editions, consensus statements, FDA communications). The DSM-5-TR acknowledges that "no biological marker is diagnostic for ADHD" and that "meta-analyses of all neuroimaging studies do not show differences between individuals with ADHD and control subjects." The authors of the DSM-5-TR, therefore, conclude that "until these issues are resolved, no form of neuroimaging can be used for diagnosis of ADHD." These statements, along with biases in the neuroimaging literature and additional empirical evidence presented in the article, challenge popular myths about the neurobiological basis of ADHD. Similarly, common beliefs about the first-line treatment of ADHD with stimulant drugs are being increasingly questioned today. For instance, the DSM-5-TR's section on Stimulant-Related Disorders introduces a new diagnostic entity named: Stimulant-Induced Mild Neurocognitive Disorder. This addition aligns with a recent FDA Drug Safety Communication for "all prescription stimulants," which highlights longstanding concerns regarding the safety of medications prescribed to millions of diagnosed individuals, primarily children. The FDA now mandates that "the Boxed Warning, FDA's most prominent warning, will describe the risks of misuse, abuse, addiction, and overdose," emphasizing that such "misuse and abuse of prescription stimulants can result in overdose and death." In light of these challenges to the biomedical discourse, this article offers a neurodiversity-oriented alternative. Using evolutionary principles and historical context, it argues that most cases of ADHD fall under the DSM's socio-philosophical category of "conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society" (similar to homosexuality, which was removed from the DSM in 1973), and are therefore "not mental disorders". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) contributed significantly to suicide assessment, however, our theoretical understanding of this complex behavior is still limited. Objective: This study aimed to harness AI methodologies to uncover hidden risk factors that trigger or aggravate suicide behaviors. Methods: The primary dataset included 228,052 Facebook postings by 1,006 users who completed the gold-standard Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. This dataset was analyzed using a bottom-up research pipeline without a-priory hypotheses and its findings were validated using a top-down analysis of a new dataset. This secondary dataset included responses by 1,062 participants to the same suicide scale as well as to well-validated scalesmeasuring depression and boredom. Results: An almost fully automated, AI-guided research pipeline resulted in four Facebook topics that predicted the risk of suicide, of which the strongest predictor was boredom. A comprehensive literature review using APA PsycInfo revealed that boredom is rarely perceived as a unique risk factor of suicide. A complementing top-down path analysis of the secondary dataset uncovered an indirect relationship between boredom and suicide, which was mediated by depression. An equivalent mediated relationship was observed in the primary Facebook dataset as well. However, here, a direct relationship between boredom and suicide risk was also observed. Conclusion: Integrating AI methods allowed the discovery of an under-researched risk factor of suicide. The study signals boredom as a maladaptive 'ingredient' that might trigger suicide behaviors, regardless of depression. Further studies are recommended to direct clinicians' attention to this burdening, and sometimes existential experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two publications by Merzon and colleagues in the Journal of Attention Disorders (JAD) suggest that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the risk of COVID-19 infections (2020) and severe outcomes (2021). Adherence to stimulant treatments was recommended to attenuate the spread of the pandemic (2020). The conclusions of these timely studies attracted considerable attention, probably due to their wide-scope implications for the public health. But how valid are they? Furthering our earlier critique published in this journal, the current article outlines seven severe gaps in these publications, including inconsistencies in the definitions and rates of ADHD, inadequate definition for ADHD medications, omissions of crucial information, unsuitable analyses, and unmet declarations regarding conflicts of interests and data availability. In fact, the latter, which constitutes a repeated avoidance of data sharing (up to this day, March 28, 2023), seems to have led the editor-in-chief of JAD to propose the write-up of the current article (which he then judged, after the peer review process, as "worthy of publication," but also that JAD is "not the best placement" of its publication—despite its specific focus on several JAD articles). To complete the picture regarding this burning public health issue, this article also provides a glimpse into the problematic happenings that took place behind the scenes, which included a personal defamation and various stalling tactics, along with an elaborated and fully-referenced response that was sent by the authors of the current article to the reviewers and the editor-in-chief of JAD in real time (Appendix). Together, the discrepancies and problematic ethical conducts that are exposed in the current article suggest that the speculation regarding the link between a neurodevelopmental diagnosis (ADHD) and a respiratory virus (COVID-19) has not been subjected to adequate scientific inquiry. On the contrary, the lack of transparency, the observed gaps, and the existing extensive literature on stimulant-related cardiovascular risks, including the recently published guidelines for starting ADHD medications by one of the authors of the 2021 study, raise concerns regarding the potentially dangerous implications of stimulant use during a global epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimulant medications (e.g., Ritalin) are considered a relatively safe first-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most common neuropsychiatric diagnosis among children. This study explores the prevalence of side-effects and risks of stimulants, as perceived by 218 Israeli young adults with ADHD who used stimulants. Participants completed questionnaires that addressed representative side-effects (eight side-effects copied from the patient leaflet of Ritalin, as approved by the Israel Ministry of Health, and five additional side-effects), medication dependence, and substance use. Results indicated that almost all side-effects were extremely common – significantly and substantially more than the leaflet's estimates. "Mood changes such as depression" for example, were observed among 66%, compared with the reported "1 in 10,000 users." Suicidal thoughts, which are mentioned as "side-effect that occurred with other medications that contain same ingredient," were observed among 3.2%. Side-effects not mentioned in the leaflet, such as "zombie-like sensation" (72.5%) and "alterations in sense-of-self" (39.4%), were also very common. Most participants tried quitting the medications (some even resisted taking them as children), mainly to disengage from their medication dependence and cease their adverse-effects, however many struggled coping without the medications and experienced withdrawal reactions, such as decreased mood or motivation as well as increased stress and anxiety. Notably, stimulant use frequency significantly correlated with alcohol and drug use. Although the observational nature of the study limits its generalizability, its findings suggest that the safety profile of stimulants requires further consideration, especially today with the large increase in diagnoses and medication use among millions of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article raises awareness to manipulations and "spins" that occur in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) research. An in-depth inspection was conducted on a high-profile study that suggested that ADHD is a risk factor for infection with COVID-19 and that stimulants reduce that risk (Merzon et al., 2020b). Two additional studies by the same first author were inspected as well, one that was published in the same journal and one that relied on the same dataset. Seven manipulations and spins were identified, including inappropriate operational definitions, misrepresentations, and omissions that produced bogus results and might have concealed potential adverse effects of medications. These distortions illustrate how biased science can contribute to the ethically problematic phenomena of overdiagnosis and overmedication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road traffic accidents, congestion and their ensuing issues are of international concern. A recent technological development to alleviate this situation is the autonomic car. A driverless vehicle will transport its passengers to their destinations. User experience would be enhanced by adapting the workings of the vehicle in line with the personality of its user. An autonomic car information system preference questionnaire was designed, focusing on different components of a futuristic information system. Participants comprised 155 students. The results demonstrated two factors: willingness to share information and need for control. A regression analysis on the automatic car preferences, personality (the Big 5), gender, and age showed that openness, consciousnesses, and age were related to different preferences. The results are assessed, followed by a discussion on personality in relation to the autonomic car. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Online Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are immensely popular, especially among adolescents. Activity on these sites leaves digital footprints, which may be used to study online behavioral correlates of adolescent psychological distress and to, ultimately, improve detection and intervention efforts. In the present work, we explore the digital footprints of adolescent depression, social rejection, and victimization of bullying on Facebook. Two consecutive studies were conducted among Israeli adolescents (N = 86 and N = 162). We collected a range of Facebook activity features, as well as self-report measurements of depression, social rejection, and victimization of bullying. Findings from Study 1 demonstrate that explicit distress references in Facebook postings (e.g., "Life sucks, I want to die") predict depression among adolescents, but that such explicit distress references are rare. In Study 2, we applied a bottom-up research methodology along with the previous top-down, theory driven approach. Study 2 demonstrates that less explicit features of Facebook behavior predict social rejection and victimization of bullying. These features include 'posts by others', 'check-ins', 'gothic and dark content', 'other people in pictures', and 'positive attitudes towards others'. The potential, promises and limitations of using digital Facebook footprints for the detection of adolescent psychological distress are discussed. Highlights • Two consecutive studies investigated whether and how Social Network Sites (SNS) can be used to detect adolescents' distress. • Study 1 focused on explicit references to distress and Study 2 also examined less explicit Facebook activities. • Explicit depression references were rare, but when they appeared they predicted "real life", offline depression. • Social rejection and victimization of bullying can also be detected through less explicit, digital footprints. • These digital footprints include for example 'posts by others', 'gothic and dark content', and 'other people in pictures'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how teacher-student communication through social network technologies may support student resilience during an ongoing war (i.e., the 2014 Israel-Gaza war). Based on student responses from open-ended surveys ( N  = 68), five content categories of emotional support were identified: caring, reassuring, emotion sharing, belonging, and distracting. The mere existence of continuous online contact with teachers also contributed to resilience perceptions. Interviews with 11 secondary school teachers revealed three main purposes for this communication: (a) delivering emotional support to students, (b) monitoring their distress; and (c) maintaining civilized norms of discourse. Practical implications and theoretical contributions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the manifestation of teenage depression on Social Network Sites (SNS) in general, and in adolescents’ Facebook status updates in particular. Objective In this study, we compare the traditional ‘offline’ clinical picture of depression with its online manifestations and explore unique features of online depression that are less dominant ‘offline’. Method We collected 190 Facebook status updates of adolescents-at-risk (14–18 yrs ), who receive psychosocial treatment. Ten licensed psychologists rated the extent to which a status update contained references to depression (α = 0.96). Results Based on both theory-driven as well as bottom-up approaches, a coding scheme was developed, resulting in a total of 13 features that significantly differentiated between ‘depressive status updates’ and ‘non-depressive status updates’. Detailed descriptions and examples of these features are offered. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis revealed four status update features that predicted status update depression scores: (1) DSM-5 depressive symptoms (including emotional and behavioral, but not somatic symptoms); (2) cognitive distortions; (3) poetic-dramatic form of verbal content; and (4) attitudes toward others. Conclusions We discuss the findings and highlight unique features of online depression manifestation, which will ultimately contribute to early (and perhaps even automatic) detection of adolescents’ depression from their online SNS activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological distress and experiences of peer victimization and social rejection are common among adolescents. Nevertheless, the growing popularity of online Social Network Sites (SNS) among adolescents offers an unprecedented opportunity for early detection of adolescents' distress. This study examined the scope of, and the individual differences that may be associated with, distress sharing on SNS. A total of 413 adolescents (mean age = 15.42, 53.8% girls) completed three questionnaires assessing (a) social media usage, (b) distress sharing on SNS, and (c) feelings of social rejection. More than 15% of the sample shared personal distress and searched for help on SNS. Distress sharing did not differ between genders. Social rejection predicted distress sharing on SNS. Notably, social rejection and distress sharing were only associated among individuals with high social media use scores. Implications are discussed for early identification of adolescents' distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In April 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) published guidelines on sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behavior for preschool children that included recommendations regarding children's screen time. This article discusses the psychological implications of children's screen-time through a step-by-step, critical review of the literature underlying these recommendations. Out of 33 studies that addressed psychological outcomes of screens, 31 were rated by the WHO as studies with very low-quality and two moderate-quality studies were irrelevant or methodologically problematic. Altogether, the findings did not converge into a unified narrative and many studies produced counterfactual, positive and null results. A meta-analysis of all 33 studies revealed a very small overall effect (r = 0.095) and a significant publication bias (adjusted r = 0.06). These findings corroborate with current literature and suggest that, to date, there is no convincing causal evidence that screen-time (per se) impairs psychological development. Future research is recommended to distinguish between normative and pathological screen use, direct and indirect effects of screens (e.g., through the reduction of healthy daily behaviors), and different screen content (e.g., educational, entertainment, or age-inappropriate content). Future guidelines may emphasize the complexity of the literature and provide parents with more nuanced recommendations regarding children's screen use. • This article reviews the psychological literature of the WHO guidelines. • 31 studies were of very low quality and the remaining 2 were irrelevant. • The evidence did not converge into a unified narrative. • Meta-analysis revealed a very low overall effect and a publication bias. • Screen-time (per se) has not been proven to impair psychological development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicide, a leading cause of death and a major public health concern, became an even more pressing matter since the emergence of social media two decades ago and, more recently, following the hardships that characterized the COVID-19 crisis. Contemporary studies therefore aim to predict signs of suicide risk from social media using highly advanced artificial intelligence (AI) methods. Indeed, these new AI-based studies managed to break a longstanding prediction ceiling in suicidology; however, they still have principal limitations that prevent their implementation in real-life settings. These include "black box" methodologies, inadequate outcome measures, and scarce research on non-verbal inputs, such as images (despite their popularity today)., Objective: This study aims to address these limitations and present an interpretable prediction model of clinically valid suicide risk from images., Methods: The data were extracted from a larger dataset from May through June 2018 that was used to predict suicide risk from textual postings. Specifically, the extracted data included a total of 177,220 images that were uploaded by 841 Facebook users who completed a gold-standard suicide scale. The images were represented with CLIP (Contrastive Language-Image Pre-training), a state-of-the-art deep-learning algorithm, which was utilized, unconventionally, to extract predefined interpretable features (eg, "photo of sad people") that served as inputs to a simple logistic regression model., Results: The results of this hybrid model that integrated theory-driven features with bottom-up methods indicated high prediction performance that surpassed common deep learning algorithms (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.720, Cohen d  = 0.82). Further analyses supported a theory-driven hypothesis that at-risk users would have images with increased negative emotions and decreased belongingness., Conclusions: This study provides a first proof that publicly available images can be leveraged to predict validated suicide risk. It also provides simple and flexible strategies that could enhance the development of real-life monitoring tools for suicide., (© Copyright 2023 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.)