opinion
Girls can get ADHD, too, and they need treatment
Adobe
Overactive, disruptive boys who need help to focus on their schoolwork have long been a sort of cultural poster child for ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. But in a new First Opinion, psychiatrist Michael Morse and psychologist Kathleen Nadau point to an important fact: Women and girls can also have ADHD, and when they do, they're chronically underdiagnosed and undertreated.
Part of the problem may lie in the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. "The current criteria are not fine-tuned to identify more subtle presentations of ADHD in females," they write. Additionally, girls are often less likely to be disruptive at school or at home than boys. "But the fact that females with ADHD may not be a problem for others doesn't mean that they are not suffering in silence," they add. Read more on how this gender disparity came to be, and why there is hope on the horizon to change it.
hospitals
Q&A: Mass General Brigham CEO says they're ready to move on without Dana-Farber
The split between Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Brigham has been messy. After catching MGB CEO Anne Klibanski on the sidelines of a conference in Chicago last week, STAT's Bob Herman spoke with her about the fallout:
What's the latest on the relationship with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute? The current relationship between you and Dana-Farber lasts until 2028. Has the ship fully sailed?
Yes, we are contractually obligated to go ahead, as we are planning to do. And at the same time, as we continue to provide that care, we also are developing what Mass General Brigham cancer [care] would look like.
So it sounds like there's no love lost here?
There are clinical and research care teams that have worked together for decades. The announcement came out from the Farber. This was a Farber business decision to build their own medical oncology hospital. That was their announcement. The people, the relationships, the care — that's gone on for decades. So all the caregivers, physicians, and researchers were stunned by this announcement.
Read more.
introductions
Hello!
The inimitable Liz Cooney wrote her last issue as this newsletter's lead writer last week, as she moves on to cover the cardiovascular beat at STAT. You know as well as I do how wonderful it's been to read her dispatches every morning for the last few years. But I'll tell you that it's been even more of a pleasure to work with her on the team for the past few months. She's left big, marathon-running shoes to fill. And while I will absolutely not be running a marathon anytime soon, I am very excited to start bringing the most important health news to your inbox every morning.
And who am I, you might be asking? I started at STAT in the summer of 2020 as an intern, and essentially, haven't let them get rid of me since! (My headshot is from that frantic pandemic era when we were all cutting our own hair, hence the shaved head. How could I have known it would still be front and center on every byline all these years later?) The very first Morning Rounds writer, Megan Thielking, was my own first editor at STAT, helping me craft stories on topics like period poverty and the mental health crisis. Which reminds me: As I take on this new role, I'll still be reporting for STAT on new science, gender-affirming care, mental health, and more. Feel free to send any leads my way: theresa.gaffney@statnews.com.
On logistics: You can still catch my colleague Annalisa Merelli here on Fridays. And seriously, please do take a minute to fill out our survey. It would be greatly appreciated!
No comments