Children, Meds, and Heart Safety: ADHD and Public Health

6 views

Are you worried about how ADHD medications could impact your child’s heart health? A lot of parents are. But, should you be?

In this special encore presentation, Susanna Visser of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tackled these questions head-on. Her analysis of studies about ADHD medication and heart health put these concerns in perspective and reassured many parents who have made the decision to include stimulant medication as part of their children’s treatment plans.

Did you miss this popular Ask the Expert? Join us for this encore presentation and learn about:
• The FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Events Reporting System
• The history of stimulant medication concerns
• The results of research on stimulant medications and heart health

This encore presentation was part of National Public Health Week and offers you the chance to learn more about how public health is studied and safeguarded in the United States, especially concerning ADHD medications.

Susanna Visser, MS, DrPH, is the lead epidemiologist for the Child Development Studies Team within the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ms. Visser’s expertise includes the analysis and design of long-term and population-based studies of neurobehavioral and mental health conditions, including ADHD and Tourette Syndrome. As a lead author of several published research papers, she has completed research related to creating population-based estimates of how many people are affected by ADHD, rates of medication treatment among youth with ADHD, and factors associated with ADHD medication treatment.

Ms. Visser served as the committee epidemiologist for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ most recent ADHD diagnostic and treatment guidelines committee. She has also participated on technical expert panels for national surveys directed by the Maternal Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, including the National Survey of Children’s Health.

-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
Please watch: “Strategies for Promoting Positive Behavior in Children with ADHD and Their Siblings”