Episode Details

76. 5 ADHD & Pediatric Mental Health Clinical Pearls Every Clinician Should Know

Episode 76 Published 4 months ago

Dr. Elise Fallucco reviews five practice-changing lessons from the previous season of Child Mental Health for Pediatric Clinicians:

1 - Ask better questions
- For example, use Dr. Waxmonsky’s ADHD assessment prompt, “When is the hardest time of day, and what is going on there?” to guide ADHD medication choice
2 - Look for the problem behind the problem
- Ask teens about energy drinks/caffeine and sleep timing, recognizing energy drink use may signal sleep deprivation;
3 - Update how we talk to families about stimulants
- Emphasize that stimulants support wakefulness, alertness, and motivation rather than directly improving attention (based on Dr. Nico Dosenbach’s Cell study)
4 - Remember the brain prefers gradual change
- Review Dr. Jeff Strawn’s SSRI cross-titration approach while monitoring serotonergic side effects;
5 - Prioritize clinician wellbeing!

00:00 Season Lessons Overview

00:19 Ask Better ADHD Questions

01:07 Energy Drinks and Sleep Clues

02:37 What Stimulants Really Do

03:54 Brain Prefers Gradual Med Changes

04:29 Cross Titration SSRI Switching

06:41 Clinician Wellbeing Matters

07:26 Thanks and Stay Connected

Links to Episodes Referenced: