Where to Read Further

This is a deliberately short list. There is no shortage of ADHD material online; there is a shortage of material that is accurate, current and not attached to something being sold. Every entry below is a government health body, a professional association or an established non-profit, and each is annotated with what it is actually useful for.

Government Health Bodies

National Institute of Mental Health — ADHD
The primary U.S. research institute for mental health conditions. The best single starting point for what the condition is, how it is described diagnostically, and what research is under way. Also publishes on depression and on caring for your mental health.

MedlinePlus — ADHD
From the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Aggregates material from federal sources and professional bodies, written for the public. Its greatest strength is the drug information database — for any prescribed medicine, the MedlinePlus page is the reliable reference. Relevant pages include methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, dextroamphetamine and amphetamine, amphetamine and atomoxetine.

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health — ADHD
The federal body whose specific remit is evaluating complementary and alternative approaches. Consult this before accepting any claim about supplements, diets or non-conventional treatments for ADHD — it is the appropriate authority on precisely that question, and it has no product to sell.

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
Fact sheets on individual nutrients covering intake, food sources, deficiency, safety limits and research status. Useful for checking claims made about specific nutrients — see also omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc and magnesium. MedlinePlus on dietary supplements explains how they are regulated.

Professional and Advocacy Organisations

American Academy of Pediatrics — ADHD
The professional body whose clinical guidance most U.S. paediatricians follow for children and adolescents. Useful for understanding what a clinician is working from. Its parent-facing site, HealthyChildren.org, presents the same material in plain language for families.

CHADD
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder — the largest U.S. ADHD advocacy and information organisation. Strongest on practical matters this site does not cover: finding an evaluation, educational rights and school advocacy, support networks, and living with the condition day to day.

Education

U.S. Department of Education — IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is the legal basis for special education support in U.S. public schools. The Department maintains a fuller resource at sites.ed.gov/idea. See school support for how this works in practice.

Nutrient Reference Pages on This Site

Two compounds that recur in ADHD discussion have neutral reference entries here: choline and choline bitartrate, and phenylalanine and DLPA. Neither page recommends anything.

How to Judge a Source

A few questions that reliably sort useful ADHD material from the rest:

• Is anything being sold? The single most useful test. A page ending in a product is written to end in a product.
• Are claims attributed? "Studies show" without a citation is not a citation.
• Does it acknowledge uncertainty? Genuine sources describe mixed evidence as mixed. Certainty on a contested question is a warning sign.
• Does it promise an outcome? Responsible material describes management, not cures.
• Does it discourage professional involvement? Any source suggesting you bypass a clinician should be discarded immediately.