Chris Ryan / Getty Images
+Drugs | May 9, 2012

Performance-Enhancing Drugs O.K. in School, but Not in Sports, Students Say

By Maia Szalavitz

If you ask college men, they’ll say that it’s more unethical to use steroids to boost athletic performance than it is to take prescription stimulants to get better grades, according to new survey of Penn State freshmen.

+Alcohol | March 22, 2012

How Getting Tipsy May Inspire Creativity

By Maia Szalavitz
Alberto Ruggieri / Getty Images

A new study finds that men who got moderately drunk on vodka cranberries did better on tests of inspired thinking.

+ADHD | March 6, 2012

ADHD: Why the Youngest Kids in a Class Are Most Likely to Be Diagnosed

By Alice Park
Getty Images

Immaturity may be getting confused for symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in younger children.

Family Matters
+Parenting | December 28, 2011

Advice from Dr. Spock’s 9th Edition: Less Materialism, More Nature

By Bonnie Rochman
Hella Hamid / Photo Researchers / Getty Images

More than six decades after his seminal child care book was published, Dr. Spock still knows what’s best for baby.

+ADHD | December 12, 2011

ADHD Drugs Don’t Pose Heart Risks for Adults

By Alice Park
Chris Gallagher

In the second of a series of three government-commissioned studies on the risks of popular drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), researchers report that the medications do not lead to increased risks of sudden death or heart events in adults. The research follows another study in children, published last month, which came [...]

+Addiction | November 21, 2011

Why the Myth of the Meth-Damaged Brain May Hinder Recovery

By Maia Szalavitz
Getty Images

Methamphetamine is widely believed to cause brain damage and cognitive impairment in users. But this claim may be wildly overblown, according to a new review of the research.

+Child Development | October 17, 2011

New ADHD Guidelines Include Kids as Young as 4

By Alice Park
Glow Images

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released new guidelines for diagnosing and treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschoolers as young as 4. Previous guidelines, issued in 2000 and 2001, focused on children aged 6 to 12, but the new recommendations expand the targeted age group to 4 to 18 to include both preschoolers [...]

+Podcast | October 7, 2011

The Healthland Podcast: How Steve Jobs Lived and Died, House M.D., and ADHD Drugs

By John Cloud, Belinda Luscombe and Sora Song
SCOTT DUNLAP / GETTY IMAGES

Welcome back, and please remember to subscribe to this podcast for free on iTunes. That’s a poignant reminder this week, since it was Steve Jobs who launched iTunes. On the podcast this week, we talk about Jobs’ experimentation with recreational drugs as well as his cancer treatment. Also, John discusses why House M.D. has thrived [...]

+Pain | September 21, 2011

Study: Ritalin May Reverse the Effects of Anesthesia

By Maia Szalavitz
Getty Images

Ritalin (methylphenidate), the stimulant drug commonly used to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, may speed recovery from anesthesia, according to new research in rats that found that animals awakened from anesthesia three times faster when given the medication rather than a placebo and also recovered regular breathing more quickly.

+Psychology | September 6, 2011

The Secrets of Self-Control: The Marshmallow Test 40 Years Later

By Maia Szalavitz
Foodcollection RF / Getty Images

Ever wonder why your willpower fails you just when you need it most? The results of a new long-term study, which first began more than 40 years ago with the now-famous marshmallow test in preschoolers, may offer some clues.