CME LLC Offers Education To Help Medical Professionals Better Recognize Adult ADHD

Main Category: ADHD
Article Date: 21 Feb 2008 - 2:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

CME LLC, a leading provider of fully accredited continuing medical education programs since 1978, today announced a new interactive educational program designed to increase recognition of the complexities and complications often encountered when diagnosing and treating patients with adult ADHD.

The presentation of adult ADHD is often complicated by the presence of comorbid conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and substance abuse. A patient's symptoms often mask either the comorbid condition or the adult ADHD, making a diagnosis more challenging.

"Of the estimated four-to-five percent of adults with ADHD, only 20 percent are ever diagnosed, and this presents us with a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness and make a positive impact for patients and physician learners alike," said Niki Oquist, M.D., FAAP and senior vice president of medical affairs for CME LLC. "ADHD is most commonly associated with children and adolescents, and it morphs to take on a completely different form in adults. Sixty percent of children and adolescents with ADHD continue to have impairment into adulthood."

Children with ADHD have symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness which progress to inattentiveness and restlessness in adults. This educational initiative is just the start of a year-long program to educate and assist physicians with diagnosing and treating patients with ADHD.

"It's easy to understand why there's so much confusion about classifying ADHD," said Oquist. "A shortage of physician training and variable symptoms may lead to the underdiagnosis of adult ADHD."

"Understanding the Complexities in the Differential Diagnosis of Adult ADHD" offers clinicians access to a Web site (http://www.adultadhd-ddx.com) with online anecdotal patient case studies, as well as live 4-hour meetings in Chicago; Dearborn, Mich.; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; and New York beginning March 1 and running through April 12. Each meeting includes two sessions: "Understanding the Challenges in the Differential Diagnosis of Adult ADHD," with Joel L. Young, M.D., medical director and founder at the Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine and "Evaluating Treatment Strategies for Adult ADHD," with David Goodman, M.D., assistant professor for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, the director of Suburban Psychiatric Associates, LLS and the director for the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland. All course materials are peer-developed and peer-reviewed. Information and other educational opportunities will be added to the Web site throughout 2008. Meeting pre-registration is requested at http://www.adultadhd-ddx.com.

About CME LLC

CME LLC, a division of CMPMedica, is a leading provider of fully accredited continuing medical education programs and offers a wide range of informational and educational resources for healthcare professionals. Based in Irvine, Calif., CME produces a variety of live events and conferences, print supplements, multimedia home study products, and Web sites and is the sponsor of the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress and Regional Extensions and the Advances series of medical education sessions, which includes Advances in Primary Care Medicine, Neurology and Pediatric Medicine.

http://www.CMELLC.com