Medical Bulletin 01/ May/ 2025
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Overview
Here are the top medical news for the day:
Girls with Inattentive ADHD at Greater Risk of Anxiety, Study Finds
A study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) has revealed that girls with inattentive-type ADHD are at significantly higher risk of developing anxiety disorders than boys. The research highlights the critical need for early detection and targeted interventions to break this cycle.
Part of the Trondheim Early Secure Study (TESS), the observational study tracked 1,000 children from age 4 to 18. It found a strong, reciprocal relationship between inattention and anxiety—but only in girls. In contrast, boys showed no such link, though early hyperactivity was associated with later anxiety.
Girls with inattentive ADHD—often seen as shy, distracted, or dreamy—frequently go undiagnosed because their symptoms are less disruptive. This delay in diagnosis means they often miss out on early treatment that could prevent the onset of anxiety.
“First and foremost, we have identified a link between anxiety and inattentive type ADHD, and we find that this only applies to girls,” said Professor Lars Wichstrøm from NTNU’s Department of Psychology.
Researchers emphasize that identifying signs of inattention as early as age 8 could help prevent serious mental health issues later. They call for more research, especially focused on young girls, to understand the distinct connections between ADHD subtypes, anxiety, and gender.
References: Achenbach, T.M. , McConaughy, S.H. , & Howell, C.T. (1987). Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: Implications of cross‐informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 213–232. - PubMed
Why Anxiety and Depression Undermine Self-Belief, Despite Good Performance: UCL Study
A study published in Nature Communications by researchers at University College London (UCL) has revealed why individuals with anxiety and depression often struggle with low self-belief—even when their actual performance is on par with others.
The research involved two groups of participants (230 and 278) who played a computer game called "Fruitville," requiring attention and memory skills. After each task, participants rated their confidence and, at the end, assessed their overall performance.
Findings showed that people with stronger symptoms of anxiety and depression tended to build their overall self-belief by focusing on moments where they had low confidence, rather than incorporating times they felt confident. This bias led to a consistently negative view of their own abilities, despite no difference in actual task performance.
Importantly, positive feedback from the game increased self-belief in all participants, and negative feedback reduced it, regardless of mental health status. Yet those with anxiety or depression still maintained lower self-belief due to their skewed focus.
"Our findings offer a simple yet powerful message – that the persistent negative self-beliefs experienced by people with anxiety and depression are often illusory, and may be rooted in a dysfunctional view of how they evaluate themselves," said lead author Dr. Sucharit Katyal, now at the University of Copenhagen.
The study suggests that the way people with anxiety and depression process their own performance may underlie related issues such as imposter syndrome. Researchers hope the insights will inform new strategies to help individuals build and maintain healthier self-perceptions, especially in work and academic settings.
References: Katyal, S., et al. (2025). Distorted learning from local metacognition supports transdiagnostic underconfidence. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57040-0.
Exercise Eases Cancer Treatment Side Effects, Study Finds
A major review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reveals that exercise can significantly reduce the side effects of cancer treatments—such as heart and nerve damage, brain fog, and shortness of breath—while improving overall quality of life and psychological wellbeing.
Researchers analyzed 80 pooled data studies from randomized controlled trials published between 2012 and July 2024, covering 485 associations across a broad range of cancers. Exercise types included mind–body practices like yoga and tai chi (28.5%), aerobic and resistance training (10%), high-intensity interval training (4%), and others (59%).
Among the 485 associations, 260 (54%) were statistically significant. According to GRADE criteria, 17% were backed by high-certainty evidence and 31% by moderate-certainty evidence. Improvements were seen across a range of outcomes—physical, emotional, and biochemical—including better sleep, reduced inflammation, improved insulin levels, and enhanced social interaction.
Preoperative exercise also showed high to moderate certainty in reducing pain, hospital stays, surgical complications, and even mortality.
“Incorporating mind–body exercises into the exercise guidelines for people with cancer may be a valuable consideration,” the researchers wrote. “Future high quality research is needed to explore additional outcomes, clarify underlying mechanisms and refine exercise prescriptions tailored to cancer type, treatment timing, exercise modality and individual characteristics.”
The authors acknowledged limitations such as variability across the included studies and the possibility that those able to exercise were healthier overall. Nonetheless, they emphasize that personalized exercise regimens should become a routine part of cancer care.
References: Bai, X-L., et al. (2025) Impact of exercise on health outcomes in people with cancer: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-109392.
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Dr. Garima Soni
BDS, MDS(orthodontics)
Dr. Garima Soni holds a BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) from Government Dental College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and an MDS (Master of Dental Surgery) specializing in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics from Maitri College of Dentistry and Research Centre. At medical dialogues she focuses on dental news and dental and medical fact checks against medical/dental mis/disinformation