Helga Zoega | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1976 (age 48–49) |
| Nationality | Icelandic |
| Occupation | professor of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine University of Iceland]] |
Helga Zoega (born 1976) is a Professor of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland. Her research focuses on the use and safety of medication among vulnerable populations, e.g. pregnant women and children. [1] [2]
Zoega completed her BA in Political Science at the University of Iceland in 2002. In 2006, she completed an MA in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences at Columbia University. [3]
Zoega was the first to receive a doctorate in Public Health Sciences from the University of Iceland. [4] She defended her PhD thesis in 2011 [5] on psychotropic medication use among children and the effect of ADHD treatment on academic progress. [6] [7] Zoega was a postdoctoral fellow in Epidemiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, 2011–2013.
Zoega joined the Faculty of Medicine, Centre of Public Health Sciences at the University of Iceland in 2012 and was promoted to Professor in 2016. [8] Previously, she was as a project manager for the Icelandic Prescription Medicines Register at the Directorate of Health (2006-2008). [3]
In 2017–2018, Zoega was a Visiting Professorial Fellow at UNSW Sydney, where she was awarded a Scientia Program Awards to further her research in Pharmacoepidemiology (2018-2026). [9]
Zoega has served on several scientific and ethical committees, including the Icelandic Science and Technology Policy Council & Icelandic Science Board (2016–19), appointed by the Prime Minister of Iceland. [10] She played a pivotal role in the founding of the Nordic Pharmaco-Epidemiological Network (NorPEN), [11] for which she served on the Executive Committee (2013–18).
Zoega plays a leading role in large-scale international consortia in providing real-world evidence of medication safety and effectiveness during pregnancy, including InPreSS (International Pregnancy Safety Study), [12] SCAN-AED (Nordic Register-Based Study of Antiepileptics in Pregnancy), [13] and Co-OPT (Consortium for the Study Of Pregnancy Treatments). [14] Zoega has led commissioned research for the Australian Department of Health resulting in national drug policy changes.
Zoega is a pharmacoepidemiologist with expertise in the use, safety and effectiveness of medications. Her research program is based on the use of "real-world data", i.e. large-scale electronic health and social data linked across sources in Australia, the Nordic countries, and the US. [4]
Zoega's research findings on pharmacotherapy during pregnancy have been published in JAMA, BMJ, JAMA Psychiatry, Annals of Internal Medicine, etc. Her work on stimulant treatment for ADHD includes multinational studies on treatment patterns, effects on academic progress and impact of relative-age, published in Pediatrics, Lancet Psychiatry, J Child Psychol Psychiatry, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica [15] and widely covered in media outlets (New York Times, Time Online, Reuters, ABC, US News, Boston Globe, etc.). [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]
Helga Zoega (b. 1976) divides her time between Sydney and Reykjavik. She has daughter and a son.
Amphetamine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity; it is also used to treat binge eating disorder in the form of its inactive prodrug lisdexamfetamine. Amphetamine was discovered as a chemical in 1887 by Lazăr Edeleanu, and then as a drug in the late 1920s. It exists as two enantiomers: levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Amphetamine properly refers to a specific chemical, the racemic free base, which is equal parts of the two enantiomers in their pure amine forms. The term is frequently used informally to refer to any combination of the enantiomers, or to either of them alone. Historically, it has been used to treat nasal congestion and depression. Amphetamine is also used as an athletic performance enhancer and cognitive enhancer, and recreationally as an aphrodisiac and euphoriant. It is a prescription drug in many countries, and unauthorized possession and distribution of amphetamine are often tightly controlled due to the significant health risks associated with recreational use.
Modafinil, sold under the brand name Provigil among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and eugeroic medication used primarily to treat narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks. Modafinil is also approved for stimulating wakefulness in people with sleep apnea and shift work sleep disorder. It is taken by mouth. Modafinil is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in people under 17 years old.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by executive dysfunction occasioning symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and developmentally-inappropriate.
Stimulants are a class of drugs that increase alertness. They are used for various purposes, such as enhancing attention, motivation, cognition, mood, and physical performance. Some stimulants occur naturally, while others are exclusively synthetic. Common stimulants include caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine, methylphenidate, and modafinil. Stimulants may be subject to varying forms of regulation, or outright prohibition, depending on jurisdiction.
Methylphenidate, sold under the brand names Ritalin and Concerta among others, is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. It may be taken by mouth or applied to the skin, and different formulations have varying durations of effect. For ADHD, the effectiveness of methylphenidate is comparable to atomoxetine but modestly lower than amphetamines, alleviating the executive functioning deficits of sustained attention, inhibition, working memory, reaction time and emotional self-regulation.
Dextroamphetamine is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and enantiomer of amphetamine that is primarily prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. It has also been used illicitly to enhance cognitive and athletic performance, as well as an aphrodisiac and euphoriant. Dextroamphetamine is generally regarded as the prototypical stimulant.
Self-medication, sometime called do-it-yourself (DIY) medicine, is a human behavior in which an individual uses a substance or any exogenous influence to self-administer treatment for physical or psychological conditions, for example headaches or fatigue.
Atomoxetine, formerly sold under the brand name Strattera, is a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (sNRI) medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and, to a lesser extent, cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS). It may be used alone or along with stimulant medication. It enhances the executive functions of self-motivation, sustained attention, inhibition, working memory, reaction time, and emotional self-regulation. Use of atomoxetine is only recommended for those who are at least six years old. It is taken orally. The effectiveness of atomoxetine is comparable to the commonly prescribed stimulant medication methylphenidate.
Adderall and Mydayis are trade names for a combination drug containing four salts of amphetamine. The mixture is composed of equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which produces a (3:1) ratio between dextroamphetamine and levoamphetamine, the two enantiomers of amphetamine. Both enantiomers are stimulants, but differ enough to give Adderall an effects profile distinct from those of racemic amphetamine or dextroamphetamine, which are marketed as Evekeo and Dexedrine/Zenzedi, respectively. Adderall is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. It is also used illicitly as an athletic performance enhancer, cognitive enhancer, appetite suppressant, and recreationally as a euphoriant. It is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the phenethylamine class.
Dexmethylphenidate, sold under the brand name Focalin among others, is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in those over the age of five years. It is taken by mouth. The immediate release formulation lasts up to five hours while the extended release formulation lasts up to twelve hours. It is the more active enantiomer of methylphenidate.
Peter Roger Breggin is an American psychiatrist and critic of shock treatment and psychiatric medication and COVID-19 response. In his books, he advocates replacing psychiatry's use of drugs and electroconvulsive therapy with psychotherapy, education, empathy, love, and broader human services.
Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the persistence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) into adulthood. It is a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning impairing symptoms must have been present in childhood, except for when ADHD occurs after traumatic brain injury. Specifically, multiple symptoms must be present before the age of 12, according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. The cutoff age of 12 is a change from the previous requirement of symptom onset, which was before the age of 7 in the DSM-IV. This was done to add flexibility in the diagnosis of adults. ADHD was previously thought to be a childhood disorder that improved with age, but recent research has disproved this. Approximately two-thirds of childhood cases of ADHD continue into adulthood, with varying degrees of symptom severity that change over time and continue to affect individuals with symptoms ranging from minor inconveniences to impairments in daily functioning.
Guanfacine, sold under the brand name Tenex (immediate-release) and Intuniv (extended-release) among others, is an oral alpha-2a agonist medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and high blood pressure.
Despite the scientifically well-established nature of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), its diagnosis, and its treatment, each of these has been controversial since the 1970s. The controversies involve clinicians, teachers, policymakers, parents, and the media. Positions range from the view that ADHD is within the normal range of behavior to the hypothesis that ADHD is a genetic condition. Other areas of controversy include the use of stimulant medications in children, the method of diagnosis, and the possibility of overdiagnosis. In 2009, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, while acknowledging the controversy, stated that the current treatments and methods of diagnosis are based on the dominant view of the academic literature.
Tourette syndrome is an inherited neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence, characterized by the presence of motor and phonic tics. The management of Tourette syndrome has the goal of managing symptoms to achieve optimum functioning, rather than eliminating symptoms; not all persons with Tourette's require treatment, and there is no cure or universally effective medication. Explanation and reassurance alone are often sufficient treatment; education is an important part of any treatment plan.
Lisdexamfetamine, sold under the brand names Vyvanse and Elvanse among others, is a stimulant medication that is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults and for moderate-to-severe binge eating disorder in adults. Lisdexamfetamine is taken by mouth. Its effects generally begin within two hours and last for up to 14 hours.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder management options are evidence-based practices with established treatment efficacy for ADHD. Approaches that have been evaluated in the management of ADHD symptoms include FDA-approved pharmacologic treatment and other pharmaceutical agents, psychological or behavioral approaches, combined pharmacological and behavioral approaches, cognitive training, neurofeedback, neurostimulation, physical exercise, nutrition and supplements, integrative medicine, parent support, and school interventions. Based on two 2024 systematic reviews of the literature, FDA-approved medications and to a lesser extent psychosocial interventions have been shown to improve core ADHD symptoms compared to control groups.
Martin Paul Whitely is a mental health researcher, author and was a Labor member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from February 2001 until he retired from state politics in March 2013. During his parliamentary and academic research career Whitely has been a prominent critic of increasing child mental health medication prescribing rates.
Vilazodone, sold under the brand name Viibryd among others, is a medication used to treat major depressive disorder. It is classified as a serotonin modulator and is taken by mouth.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulty focusing attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. Treatments generally involve behavioral therapy and/or medications. ADHD is estimated to affect about 6 to 7 percent of people aged 18 and under when diagnosed via the DSM-IV criteria. However, these estimates may be inaccurate as females tend to have fewer symptoms, as identified in the DSM-IV, and thus tend to be under-diagnosed due to these sex differences in predicting ADHD. When diagnosed via the ICD-10 criteria, hyperkinetic disorder gives rates between 1 and 2 percent in this age group.
