Common disorder linked to 70% higher death rate, but medication may offer protection

People diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face a roughly 71% higher overall risk of early death compared to those without the condition, according to a new review published in JAMA Network Open.

However, taking prescription ADHD medication may offer a protective benefit, lowering overall risk of death, the review found.

Researchers analyzed data from 19 observational studies involving nearly 16 million people across three continents to evaluate the long-term effects associated with the condition.

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The review considered both unnatural causes of death, such as injuries and suicide, and natural causes, including physical health conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Across all categories, individuals with ADHD experienced elevated mortality rates compared to those without the diagnosis.

"We found that people with ADHD face an increased risk not only of death by suicide and injury, but also of deaths by natural causes, adding to evidence that health inequalities faced by people with ADHD are broad and wide-ranging," senior author Joshua Stott, professor of aging and clinical psychology at University College London (UCL), said in a press release.

The risk of death from suicide was nearly doubled, showing an 89% increase, while the risk of dying from intentional or unintentional injuries, such as motor vehicle accidents, was 55% higher, the study found.

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There was also a 27% higher risk of death from natural causes among people with ADHD.

The increased risk of death from natural causes was often tied to long-term health risks like smoking and substance use, as well as executive function challenges that can make it harder to manage chronic conditions, attend doctor’s appointments and follow treatment plans.

In one analysis, researchers checked whether medical treatment changed overall mortality rates.

Among people with ADHD, those taking prescribed ADHD medication had a 25% lower risk of death from any cause compared to those not taking medication, suggesting that effective treatment may lower some of the behavioral effects and health risks associated with the condition.

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"ADHD is not by definition a life-limiting condition, as the right support and treatment can help people live long and healthy lives," Stott said.

"Our findings underscore the importance of ensuring that everyone who may have ADHD has access to accurate diagnosis and treatment."

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Despite these findings, the researchers emphasized several key limitations.

All included studies were observational, meaning the results show associations rather than direct cause-and-effect relationships.

The findings on ADHD medication came from just three of the 19 studies, so those results are still preliminary and based on a much smaller group of people.

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Results also varied widely across individual studies due to differences in diagnostic criteria, healthcare access and tracking methods, while underlying factors such as socioeconomic status and other mental health conditions were not controlled across data sets.

"Our findings provide early evidence to suggest that medication may play an important role in supporting the health of people with ADHD, but this is based on a small number of studies and further research is needed to clarify this link," first author Lucy Corrigan, a research assistant in the University of Liverpool’s Department of Psychology, said in the same press release.

"Medication is just part of the story; many people with ADHD benefit from comprehensive, long-term treatment and support."

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Robert F Kennedy's granddaughter dies at 42 after years of health struggles

Kyle Kennedy, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, has died at the age of 42.

Kennedy, the daughter of Michael Kennedy and Victoria Gifford Kennedy, died Sept. 21 at her Massachusetts home, according to an obituary published by Burke Funeral Homes.

Her cause of death remains pending, People reported.

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Born in Washington, D.C., on July 6, 1984, Kennedy spent much of her upbringing in Cohasset, Massachusetts. She attended Milton Academy before earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Georgetown University.

She went on to pursue advanced degrees in education, earning a master of science in early education from Pace University and a master of education in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Kennedy began her professional life with Teach for America, teaching for two years in New York City public schools. That experience sparked a lifelong commitment to early childhood education and reform, according to her obituary.

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Over the course of her career, Kennedy worked as an advocate for equitable elementary education and charter schools, collaborated with education technology companies on curriculum improvement, and served as an instructional coach for primary school educators.

An avid athlete and long-distance runner, Kennedy completed the 2019 Boston Marathon.

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In 2020, Kennedy suffered a severe spinal cord injury that caused long-term paralysis and significant health obstacles.

Following her injury, Kennedy focused on disability rights advocacy, including testifying at the Massachusetts State House on healthcare discrimination against individuals living with disabilities.

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Kennedy was preceded in death by her father, Michael, in 1997, and her infant daughter, Josie.

Kennedy is survived by her sons, Conor, 12, and Declan, 10; her ex-husband, Liam; her mother, Victoria (the daughter of Frank Gifford and Maxine Avis Ewart and Kathie Lee Gifford’s stepdaughter); her brother, Michael, and his family; and her sister, Rory, and her family.

Funeral services were held privately.

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‘Super-drug’ 10 times stronger than fentanyl linked to deaths across multiple states

A powerful new synthetic opioid said to be more potent than fentanyl has been linked to dozens of recent deaths in the U.S., prompting warnings from health officials.

Tennessee was an early hotspot, with the state’s health department announcing in March that more than 30 fatal overdoses had been associated with cychlorphine since October 2025.

An April 2026 notice from the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy cited at least 41 Tennessee deaths between July 2025 and February 2026 and at least 55 deaths nationally.

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Fatal overdoses have also been reported in Illinois, California and Oklahoma, according to public health and law enforcement records.

"Cychlorphine is particularly dangerous due to its strength, where a very small amount can cause someone to stop breathing," the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in its advisory.

Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D., CEO and chief clinical officer of the New York Center for Living in Manhattan and a clinical professor at Stony Brook Medicine’s School of Social Welfare, called cychlorphine "the new fentanyl on steroids."

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Cychlorphine is a novel, unregulated synthetic opioid that activates the same receptors as fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It can cause profound sedation, slowed or stopped breathing, and death.

The drug is not approved for medical use and has been detected in illicit drugs and counterfeit pills.

Kardaras called cychlorphine "one of the most potent synthetic opioids" now appearing in the illicit drug supply.

"Fentanyl is about 50 times more potent than morphine or heroin," he told Fox News Digital. "Cychlorphine is reportedly up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl — so theoretically, about 500 times more potent than morphine or heroin."

"This new synthetic drug is making fentanyl look like yesterday's candy."

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Cychlorphine is taken in various forms — people can ingest it as a pill, snort it in powder form, or crush it and administer it intravenously, according to Kardaras.

"The problem has been, in addition to its potency, it's often put in other designer drugs and in counterfeit pills," he cautioned.

While some people seek out cychlorphine for its potency, others may ingest it unknowingly when it is mixed into other substances.

"Sometimes by talking about how potent some of these substances are, we increase the allure of them for some addicts, unfortunately," Kardaras said.

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While cychlorphine is primarily a street drug, it can also be purchased online or via "boutique designer-drug markets," according to the expert.

Cychlorphine can cause a fatal overdose in anyone, regardless of age. Kardaras said younger people may face greater exposure because some are more likely to experiment with drugs or purchase counterfeit pills.

"They’re buying something online … and all of a sudden, without knowing it, they’re ingesting fentanyl or another synthetic opioid," he said.

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Naloxone, commonly sold under the brand name Narcan, can reverse cychlorphine’s opioid effects, but multiple or prolonged doses may be needed.

"What used to take one or two doses of Narcan to reverse an overdose may now require five or six doses, based on anecdotal evidence," Kardaras said.

The DEA advises people to administer naloxone immediately, call 911 and be prepared to give additional doses.

Another major concern with cychlorphine is that standard fentanyl test strips and routine hospital opioid urine screens do not detect it.

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"Most drug tests have very specific chemical structures that they detect in any kind of synthetic or non-synthetic drug, and this new one hasn't quite been baked into the current testing strips," Kardaras noted.

The takeaway, he said, is that cychlorphine may be up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl, is not detected by standard fentanyl test strips or routine hospital opioid urine screens, and may require multiple doses of naloxone to reverse.

"So it's a triple whammy," he said. "It's a constant battle of keeping up with the latest iterations of new drugs."

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Lung cancer can grow silently for years, here’s who qualifies for screening

Cancer can strike at any age, often without symptoms. For many cancers, routine screening remains the best way to detect the disease early and reduce the risk of death.

For lung cancer, screening guidelines can vary, as the disease doesn’t always show obvious signals and can occur in both smokers and never-smokers.

Daniel J. Boffa, M.D., chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and a thoracic surgeon at Yale University, noted that lung cancer screening is "one of the most powerful ways" to boost survival.

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"It reduces the chance of people dying of lung cancer by 20%," he told Fox News Digital.

The share of Americans who are eligible for screening but don’t comply translates to "tens of thousands of preventable deaths every year," according to Boffa.

"I'm hoping that within four or five years, a screening CT scan will only be confirmatory after they have a positive blood test done at your doctor's office," he added.

That approach could make screening easier and potentially help detect more lung cancers, according to the doctor.

In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Lary Robinson, M.D., an oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, noted that in most cases, early-stage lung cancer will not come with any symptoms.

In those who do have symptoms, however, the most common are related to the lungs, including a persistent cough, shortness of breath or coughing up blood.

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Unexplained weight loss can result from any form of cancer, according to the oncologist. Neurological symptoms, like persistent headaches, may also warrant seeing a doctor.

Current lung cancer screening guidelines recommend an annual low-dose CT scan for people between the ages of 50 and 80 who currently smoke or have a history of smoking or have at least a 20 pack-year history of smoking, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Before making the decision to get screened, individuals should speak with their healthcare providers about the purpose of the screening and how it’s done, as well as the benefits, limits and possible harms, ACS advised.

Those who still smoke should be counseled about quitting and offered interventions and resources to help.

Individuals with serious health problems that will "likely limit" their lifespan should not be screened, according to ACS, as well as those who won’t be able to get treatment if lung cancer is detected.

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Although one out of seven lung cancers will affect someone who has never smoked, there is currently not a set screening guideline for never-smokers.

Finding individuals who would benefit from screening is an "intense area of research," according to Boffa. For now, people with a direct family history of lung cancer without smoking should consider annual screenings, as should higher-risk demographics like Asian women.

"I would anticipate that in the next year or two, we will have better guidance for people who are at risk for lung cancer, but never smoked," Boffa predicted.

Boffa noted that advances in lung cancer treatment have improved survival, even at advanced stages, so screening should not be viewed as a pathway to a terminal diagnosis.

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"People are really reluctant to be diagnosed with lung cancer because it does carry a stigma," Boffa said. "For years, there was a reputation that it was a terminal diagnosis. It's just been amazing what research has done for lung cancer."

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Most screenings detect a lung nodule or other abnormality, which is more often an infection, scar or inflammation than a tumor, he said.

In about one-third of patients, lung cancer screenings also detect unrelated health issues, including the hardening of heart arteries or a nodule in another part of the body.

"The reality is over 99% of nodules are actually benign," Boffa said. "And so, you need to have a conversation about what you are going to do with that information."

"I think having that conversation ahead of time is really important so that expectations are set – it's not uncommon to find something. Most of the time, it's not something that's going to affect how long you live."

The doctor noted that the CT scan only takes a couple of minutes to perform and does not take place in an enclosed space like an MRI.

"People who get claustrophobic usually don't have a hard time with lung cancer screening," Boffa said. "And it usually takes a few days to get a report back."

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For those who are over 50 with a history of smoking, Boffa reiterated that getting screened is "one of the most powerful things you can do to reduce your chances of having your life shortened by lung cancer."

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Adult children cutting off parents as some blame therapy for family estrangements

Amid a reported surge in parent-child estrangements, some have questioned whether therapy could play a role in the family fracture trend.

Nearly four in 10 Americans are currently estranged from at least one close family member, according to a 2025 YouGov poll of 4,395 U.S. adults, including 24% from a sibling, 16% from a parent and 10% from a child.

While therapy can be helpful in facilitating communication and mending relationships, some believe it could contribute to "cutoff culture."

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In two recent large-scale surveys of over 5,200 U.S. parents who were estranged from adult children, 1,014 parents reported that their children began therapy within the year before the estrangement.

Meanwhile, 515 parents reported that their adult children had indicated therapy influenced their decision about the relationship, and 1,254 said their child had received a mental health diagnosis.

(The surveys were not peer-reviewed or nationally representative and relied on parents' accounts of their adult children’s experiences, limiting what can be concluded about therapy’s role in estrangement.)

Richard Blake, PhD, a Texas-based psychology researcher with a focus on anxiety and family estrangement, refers to the trend as an "overcorrection" happening in today’s society.

"There is a lot of debate online about whether it's happening or not," Blake, who was a researcher in the surveys referenced above and has written a book about how therapy could be fueling family estrangement, told Fox News Digital.

"I hear it from both sides. I hear from parents who say, ‘My child said my therapist should cut you off,’ and people who've told me, ‘My therapist told me I should cut my parents off.’ How much it's happening and when it's appropriate and inappropriate is where the nuance comes in."

Laura Wellington, a Connecticut mother who has been estranged from her adult daughter since 2024, also weighed in on the potential role therapists play in the growing divide.

"Do therapists, in my opinion, play a role in the estrangement epidemic? 100%," she told Fox News Digital. "But that doesn't mean there aren't some really good therapists out there."

Wellington, known on social media as "Doormat Mom," said she believes some therapists have contributed to family fractures by focusing too narrowly on one person's experience, when it’s actually a "multi-pronged situation."

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She said some therapists have even contacted her to reconsider their approach to estrangement cases.

"I've had them come to me and ask me, ‘What did we miss?’" she said.

Wellington added that she has seen parents encouraged to apologize to their adult children — something she supports when the parent has done something wrong — but believes therapists should consider the broader circumstances surrounding the estrangement.

Differences in values can contribute to family fractures, even in the absence of severe behavior such as violence or abuse, according to Blake.

"People are cutting people off because of divergence in values," he said.

As one example, Blake pointed to a recent online comment in which someone wrote, "I cut my parents off because they didn't condemn ICE enough."

At the same time, he emphasized that there are legitimate circumstances in which ending contact with a parent may be warranted, including physical or sexual abuse.

"Then you get into the sort of very murky area of emotional abuse, and this is where therapy culture comes in," Blake added.

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The researcher said he believes the term "emotional abuse" is sometimes applied more broadly in therapy and online spaces, particularly in conflicts over politics, religion and language.

"Emotional abuse can be [about] differing political values, a little difference in religious beliefs," he said. "It can be about the words people use."

What a parent views as legitimate criticism can sometimes be interpreted as emotional abuse by an adult child, according to Blake.

"Therapy has sort of raised the bar of what is good enough parenting," he added. "There's just a massive sort of overselling in therapy of how much your parents affected you."

In some cases, Blake said, he will hear from parents that their children never told them the issue that led to them being cut off.

"They’ll say, ‘We were best friends. And then I got a letter saying, ‘never contact me ever again.’"

Blake emphasized, however, that it’s important for parents to listen if the adult child makes an attempt to communicate.

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"A frequent complaint that most adult children make is, ‘My parents just don't listen. I cannot get through to them. It's like talking to a brick wall,’" he said. "And that is a genuine frustration."

"If you don't listen to your child, then don't be surprised if you have conflict with them."

Blake recommended active listening techniques, such as allowing the other person to speak without interruption, repeating their concerns back to show understanding, and asking whether they have more to share before offering a response.

Blake emphasized that his concerns do not apply to all therapists, saying only a "small subset" may view cutting off family members as an appropriate response to conflict.

In situations involving ordinary family conflict rather than abuse, he cautioned that ending contact can have longer-term repercussions even if it initially brings relief.

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"It makes you feel good, but there are consequences afterwards — very serious consequences," Blake said.

He also challenged the idea that the sole act of cutting off a parent will necessarily resolve underlying mental health struggles.

"This is the sort of myth that pervades in cutoff cultures, like, ‘I needed to cut my parents off to protect my mental health,’" he said. The assumption, he added, is: "My parents were the cause of my mental health issues, therefore cutting them out resolves that issue."

Other experts have emphasized that people's experiences with therapy during family estrangement can vary.

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Lucy Blake, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist in the U.K. who studies family estrangement, told the American Psychological Association that therapy can be "very helpful" in some cases.

"I think people can find therapy very helpful if their therapist has an understanding of estrangement, so some appreciation that it’s rarely one relationship that’s affected when there’s an estrangement," she said.

Therapy can also be beneficial when therapists understand underlying factors that can contribute to family estrangement, such as abuse or mental health challenges, the psychologist noted.

Blake has also heard from people who found therapy "very unhelpful," particularly when they felt their therapist lacked warmth and validation or did not understand the "enormous impact" of estrangement and the grief and loss that can accompany it.

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Overall, Blake said therapy can be a "really helpful avenue of support" for some, while noting that researchers are "still really learning" what is helpful or unhelpful for people experiencing estrangement.

For families experiencing conflict, bringing in a neutral third party may be a better option when both sides are willing to participate, experts agree.

"Communication with a mediator, whether it’s a therapist or a professional mediator, can be really productive," said Richard Blake.

Once a family member has already ended communication and asked not to be contacted, however, getting both sides into therapy may no longer be an option.

"I certainly think it’s worth a try," he said of mediation. "I know a lot of very good mediators out there who can help people."

Wellington agreed that bringing parents and adult children into therapy together could be helpful, although both sides need to be willing to repair the relationship.

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She also added that differing beliefs do not necessarily have to end a relationship.

"You can have a different opinion," she said. "You can also have a relationship with your parent who has the other opinion, and that's OK."

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Popular foods Americans eat every day linked to silent brain damage, alarming study finds

A recent study conducted by Canadian researchers found a correlation between high consumption of ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of stroke and future memory problems in healthy adults.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to examine the brains of about 9,000 participants, the researchers discovered small areas of brain damage more commonly in people who ate large amounts of ultra-processed foods, such as soft drinks, packaged snacks and sugary breakfast cereals.

Those with the highest intake of ultra-processed foods were 40% more likely to show these changes in the brain, which can go undetected because they don’t produce obvious symptoms, Medical Xpress reported.

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These brain changes can, however, be early warning signs in the years before the onset of a stroke or memory problems.

These findings were unexpected, according to Russel J. de Souza, first author of the study and an associate scientist at the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) of McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences.

"Usually, this kind of damage is associated with conditions we hear about and treat at a much older age," de Souza told Medical Xpress. He noted that the study focused on "middle-aged Canadians who had no heart problems and reported no other health concerns."

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The study, which was published in JAMA Network Open, included participants between the ages of 35 and 69.

Participants who ate the most ultra-processed foods held more body fat and visceral fat, which is linked to various health concerns including heart disease.

The study found an overall stronger connection between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and brain damage among female participants.

Women in the highest consumption group had nearly twice the likelihood of exhibiting signs of brain damage as opposed to those in the lowest consumption group.

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"Our findings suggest that the link between diet and brain health may be detectable before people experience noticeable problems with memory or thinking," said Sonia Anand, senior author of the study and senior scientist at PHRI.

Ultra-processed foods are usually tasty, but they frequently lack important nutrients such as fiber, vitamins and minerals, while containing high amounts of sodium, saturated fats and added sugars, according to the CDC.

The average percentage of total daily calories consumed from ultra-processed foods was 55% among Americans ages one year and older between August 2021 and August 2023, according to data published by the CDC in August 2025.

Ultra-processed foods are convenient and widely available, which could contribute to high consumption, Anand said. However, she noted that "diets high in these foods may be linked to brain changes that may lead to memory loss and stroke" in the future.

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For participants in this study, ultra-processed foods accounted for an average of about 25% of their daily food intake.

The researchers noticed that, as consumption of ultra-processed food increased, consumption of nutrient-dense foods decreased.

Whole foods like fruits, vegetables and grains made up 41% of the daily food intake for participants who ate the most ultra-processed food and 68% for those who ate the least.

The study’s findings suggest a connection between consumption of ultra-processed foods and indicators of changes in the brain.

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Despite this, because participants were only evaluated once and not followed up with in the future, the researchers could not determine that the direct cause of the changes in the brain was consumption of ultra-processed foods.

"We need longer-term studies that track people over time with repeated MRI scans to find out whether reducing ultra-processed food intake can slow or prevent these brain changes," de Souza said, adding that follow-up research is in the works.

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Trump's chief of staff almost skipped screening that detected aggressive cancer

Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, recently shared that she is cancer-free after a diagnosis of an aggressive form of breast cancer.

Wiles, 69, who became the first woman to hold the chief of staff role in January 2025, was diagnosed in March 2026 and underwent six months of treatment, according to public reports.

On Sept. 16, she shared on X that her pathology results from Mayo Clinic had come back clear, stating, "I am cancer-free."

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Wiles recently shared some additional details of her cancer journey with Fox News Digital.

Wiles’ diagnosis came as a complete surprise, as she had no symptoms and no indications that anything was wrong, she said.

"I felt fine. I was working every day in one of the most demanding jobs imaginable. There was nothing telling me that I had cancer," she told Fox News Digital.

Wiles had gone in for her annual checkup. She wasn’t due for her annual mammogram until several months later, but the machine happened to be available that day.

"My doctor asked if I wanted to get it out of the way," she said. "I told him I wasn’t due for another few months and I’d come back."

Wiles’ doctor insisted that she proceed with the scan, as he knew that her job’s busy schedule would make scheduling a challenge.

"He said, essentially, ‘You’re here. The machine is available. Let’s do it now.’ Thank God he insisted."

The mammogram detected Wiles’ aggressive breast cancer at an early stage.

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"Had he not encouraged me to do it that day, I would have gone back to work and probably not thought about it again until July," she said.

"We would be having a very different conversation in that case. Four months may not sound like a long time, but with cancer, early detection matters. I will always be grateful to my doctor for knowing me well enough to insist."

While the physical effects of cancer treatment are well-known, Wiles emphasized that there is also a mental and emotional toll.

"There were hard days. I don’t want to minimize that or make cancer sound anything less than it is — brutal and unrelenting," she said.

"You wake up thinking about it. Sometimes you go to sleep thinking about it. There is always another appointment or test result somewhere on the horizon."

Wiles credits her "exceptional" doctors and nurses, as well as her family, friends and colleagues, for supporting her through the process. Her faith also sustained her, she added.

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"One of the things I have shared is how cancer can consume both your conscious and subconscious mind," she said. "Even when you’re doing something else, it’s there — treatment, side effects, test results."

"Having people around you who can carry some of that weight matters enormously."

Everyone finds strength in different places when going through hard times, Wiles noted.

"For me, my family, my faith, and continuing to work and serve the president and the country gave me purpose," she said. "Those were the things that reminded me there was so much in my life beyond cancer."

"I was surrounded by people who loved me, prayed for me and supported me. And I had faith that whatever happened, God was with me."

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The disease can make the world seem "very small" for someone who receives a diagnosis, Wiles pointed out.

She opted to continue working during treatment, noting that she was "surprised" by how much it helped.

"Work gave me somewhere else to put my mind," she said. "It reminded me that I was still myself and that cancer was something I was going through, not the entirety of who I was."

Now that she is cancer-free, Wiles said she places a higher priority on healthy habits.

"I am far more conscious of the need for a clean and healthy diet, how important sleep is to your body, and the importance of exercise — even something as simple as getting up, moving and walking outside," she said.

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"Between reading everything I can get my hands on, hearing often from Secretary Kennedy about healthy living and following my doctors’ recommendations, I have recommitted myself to doing the things we know are good for us and that will put me in the best possible position to avoid a recurrence."

After her close call and "fortunate" discovery, Wiles is now encouraging others to stay on top of their routine medical appointments and screenings, urging them to "please make the appointment."

"I understand how easy it is to put yourself last. We do it all the time," she said. "We take care of our families, our jobs and everyone who depends on us, and we convince ourselves that our own appointment can wait another week or another month."

"We all have reasons to put things off … but you cannot be too busy to take care of your health. I learned that in a very personal way."

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To others who are in the midst of a cancer journey, Wiles emphasized the importance of letting other people step in to help.

"My advice would be to let them. Accept the help. Lean on the people you love. Trust your doctors," she advised. "And for me, most importantly, trust God."

There is no single right way to fight cancer, Wiles said.

"Some days, you will feel strong, and some days simply getting through the day is an accomplishment," she said.

"I hope people going through it know that they are not alone, and that there can be life, joy and purpose not only on the other side, but also in the midst of the fight."

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Wiles says her cancer experience has given her a fresh perspective and greater appreciation for the "ordinary days" that many take for granted — but she also noted that the disease has not made her an entirely different person.

"I love my work. I love my family. I am enormously grateful to be cancer-free, and I intend to live my life fully," she said.

"There isn’t a day that I don’t understand what a blessing that is."

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