ADHD, Anxiety & More: Child Mental Health for Pediatrics

Elise Fallucco, MD | Child Mental Health Expert
  • 4.8 (38)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

ADHD, Anxiety & More - formerly Child Mental Health for Pediatric Clinicians  / PsychEd4Peds - is the podcast for pediatric primary care clinicians who want practical, evidence-based guidance for diagnosing and treating children and adolescents with mental health conditions. Hosted by Elise Fallucco, MD, a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist and speaker whose educational programs have helped thousands of  pediatric clinicians improve their confidence in caring for children with mental health problems.  This podcast is for pediatricians, pediatric nurse practitioners, physician assistants, family physicians, and other pediatric clinicians who want to confidently care for kids with ADHD, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral concerns, trauma, and other common pediatric mental health conditions. Each episode translates the latest evidence into practical clinical pearls you can use in your office the very next day. Through conversations with leading experts in child psychiatry, psychology, pediatrics, and behavioral health, Dr. Fallucco shares real-world strategies, diagnostic tips, medication guidance, and communication tools designed specifically for busy primary care clinicians. Are you looking for answers to questions like:• Which ADHD medication should I start first?• When should I use a non-stimulant?• How do I treat ADHD and anxiety together?• Could this be ADHD, anxiety, autism, bipolar disorder, trauma, or a learning disorder?• Which screening tools should I use?• When should I start an SSRI?• How do I manage common medication side effects?• When should I refer to child psychiatry?• How can I support children, teens, and families with confidence? Whether you're evaluating ADHD, treating anxiety, managing behavioral challenges, prescribing stimulants or SSRIs, collaborating with schools, or navigating complex mental health presentations, ADHD, Anxiety & Beyond delivers practical, evidence-based clinical pearls to help you provide exceptional mental health care for children and adolescents.

  1. 1d ago

    84. Anxiety: When is it normal? When does it need treatment?

    Send us Fan Mail Anxiety is a normal human emotion.  So, how do you know when it’s developmentally typical and when it has crossed the line into something that needs treatment?  In this episode, Dr. Fallucco walks through a practical approach pediatric clinicians can use to recognize clinically significant anxiety that requires treatment.   We talk about Screening, Taking a focused history of Anxiety, and determining whether the anxiety needs treatment. In this episode, you’ll learn: Who to screen for anxiety—and when to keep anxiety on your radar during ADHD, depression, or unexplained physical/behavioral evaluationsWhy the SCARED-5 is a practical anxiety screening tool for pediatric primary careSimple questions you can ask after a positive screen to better understand what a child is worried aboutThe four questions that can help you distinguish developmentally typical anxiety from clinically significant anxiety: Is it proportional? Is it developmentally expected? Is it causing distress? Is it impairing the child or family?How anxiety may look different in younger versus older children, including behavioral symptoms, physical complaints, irritability, and avoidanceWhen to consider treatment—and why CBT is an important first-line intervention for many children with anxiety Check out our website PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources! Follow us on Instagram @psyched4peds Check out our NEW CME Audio-based, on-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.  https://ce.nemours.org/content/podcast-series-cracking-adhd-code-essential-skills-pediatric-clinicians#group-tabs-node-course-default1

  2. Sep 15 ·  Video

    83. ADHD and Epilepsy: Can You Safely Prescribe Stimulants?

    Send us Fan Mail Join us for the latest Mystery Case: A teen with ADHD + Epilepsy Would you prescribe a stimulant? How do you treat ADHD in people who have epilepsy? In this episode, we unpack: • The surprising relationship between ADHD and epilepsy • Why ADHD is easy to miss in kids with epilepsy • Where the concern about stimulants and seizures came from • What newer research tells us about stimulant treatment in kids with epilepsy • How I would approach treatment—and monitoring—in people with epilepsy 00:00 Welcome and Mystery Case 00:30 ADHD and Epilepsy Link 01:30 Bidirectional Risk Explained 02:58 Seizure History Details 04:00 Treatment Options Debate 06:03 Stimulants and Seizure Evidence 09:14 Best Answer and Monitoring Plan 10:28 Wrap Up and Thanks Studies referenced in the episode: Auvin S et al. Systematic review of the screening, diagnosis, and management of ADHD in children with epilepsy. Consensus paper of the Task Force on Comorbidities of the ILAE Pediatric Commission. Epilepsia. 2018 Brikell I et al. Medication treatment for ADHD and the risk of acute seizures in individuals with epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2019 Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Stimulant and non-stimulant drug-therapy for people with ADHD and Epilepsy 2022. Kwon CS et al. Psychiatric comorbidities in persons with epilepsy compared with persons without epilepsy. JAMA Neurology. 2025 Liu X et al. Stimulant do not increase the risk of seizure-related hospitalization in children with epilepsy. J Child Adol Psychopharm. 2018. Wang S et al. Comorbidity of epilepsy and ADHD: a Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Neurology. 2023  Wiggs KK, Chang Z, Quinn PD, Hur K, Gibbons R, Dunn D, Brikell I, Larsson H, D'Onofrio BM. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication and seizures. Neurology. 2018  Check out our website PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources! Follow us on Instagram @psyched4peds Check out our NEW CME Audio-based, on-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.  https://ce.nemours.org/content/podcast-series-cracking-adhd-code-essential-skills-pediatric-clinicians#group-tabs-node-course-default1

  3. Sep 8 ·  Video

    82. ADHD Treatment beyond Meds: Exercise and Nutrition

    Send us Fan Mail What ELSE helps ADHD symptoms (in addition to meds?) What does the evidence say about non-medication treatment options for ADHD? We talk about... behavioral therapy  exercise - which is an under-prescribed intervention,  Think 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity 3 times weekly for 8–12 weeksWhat about Nutrition?omega-3 fatty acids may help with emotional lability in ADHD  broad-spectrum micronutrients??00:00  ADHD Treatmetn BEYOND MEDS Overview 02:16 Therapy Evidence Basics 03:47 Medication Hesitancy Case 04:53 Exercise As Treatment 06:34 How Exercise Works 08:14 Exercise Prescription Tips 08:59 Omega 3 For Mood 11:08 Micronutrients Caution 13:22 Recap And Next Steps 14:09 Wrap Up And Subscribe   Check out our website PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources! Follow us on Instagram @psyched4peds Check out our NEW CME Audio-based, on-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.  https://ce.nemours.org/content/podcast-series-cracking-adhd-code-essential-skills-pediatric-clinicians#group-tabs-node-course-default1

  4. Sep 1

    81. Chronic Abdominal Pain in Kids: The Gut-Brain Connection and How to Help

    Send us Fan Mail How can we support children and families who struggle with chronic abdominal pain?  Dr. Fallucco shares an episode from The Pediatrician Next Door, an excellent podcast hosted by pediatrician Dr. Wendy Hunter.  Dr. Hunter talks with Dr. Ali Navidi, a psychologist who specializes in disorders of gut-brain interaction.  Dr. Navidi explains why some kids experience abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea in a way that makes sense to families Dr. Navidi talks about the role of psychological treatments—including clinical hypnosis—in helping kids retrain these brain-gut pathways. For more helpful episodes for parents and families about  The Pediatrician Next Door with Dr. Wendy Hunter:  "I answer the questions you forgot or were too embarrassed to ask your doctor. I mix the science of medicine with the reality of parenting to give you satisfying answers to your parenting questions!" Website: https://www.pediatriciannextdoorpodcast.com/ Dr. Ali Navidi, PsyD from GI Psychology https://www.gipsychology.com/ Check out our website PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources! Follow us on Instagram @psyched4peds Check out our NEW CME Audio-based, on-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.  https://ce.nemours.org/content/podcast-series-cracking-adhd-code-essential-skills-pediatric-clinicians#group-tabs-node-course-default1

  5. Aug 25 ·  Video

    80. Viloxazine (Qelbree) or Atomoxetine (Strattera) for ADHD: Which should you choose?

    Send us Fan Mail  Dr. Elise Fallucco continues this series on non-stimulant medication for ADHD and shares practical tips about using Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (NRIs): viloxazine ER (Qelbree) and atomoxetine (Strattera) for pediatric clinicians. Who can benefit from NRIs? What are the potential benefits, drawbacks, and side effects?  Working through the case of a 12-year-old girl with inattentive ADHD and anxiety  who cannot tolerate methylphenidate or amphetamine , she explains why she generally prefers Viloxazine ER (Qelbree) FDA approval for ADHD in children ages 6+Quicker onset (often within 1–2 weeks vs 4–6 weeks for atomoxetine)Better tolerabilityMore straightforward dosing Unlike Atomoxetine (Strattera), you can dose this medication without worrying about significant genetic variability in drug metabolism00:00 NRIs for ADHD 00:38 When to Use 01:07 Case Introduction 02:51 Stimulant Trials Fail 04:09 Considering NRIs 04:30 Why Qelbree First 05:51 Atomoxetine Caveats 07:23 Treating Sophie 08:45 Clinical Pearls Recap 09:50 Wrap Up and CME Check out our website PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources! Follow us on Instagram @psyched4peds Check out our NEW CME Audio-based, on-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.  https://ce.nemours.org/content/podcast-series-cracking-adhd-code-essential-skills-pediatric-clinicians#group-tabs-node-course-default1

  6. Aug 18 ·  Video

    79. When stimulants don't work: Guanfacine and Clonidine explained

    Send us Fan Mail While stimulant meds are first-line treatment for ADHD, they do NOT work for everyone... or sometimes they only PARTIALLY help.  So, what can you do in these situations? When is the right time to try a non-stimulant medication like Guanfacine and Clonidine (a.k.a - alpha-agonists?)? In which clinical situations can these alpha-agonists be helpful?  How do you know when to switch from one stimulant to another stimulantWhen should you try adding on or switching to an alpha-agonist?In this episode, Dr. Elise Fallucco talks about guanfacine XR (Intuniv) and clonidine (Kapvay/Onyda XR)—and how to decide whether to switch stimulants or augment them. Using an 11-year-old with improved attention on a stimulant but persistent impulsivity/oppositionality and dose-limiting side effects, she explains that switching is best when there’s little benefit or unacceptable side effects, while augmentation makes sense with partial response. She reviews key scenarios for alpha agonists: residual impulsivity/hyperactivity/behavior dysregulation, ADHD with tics, possible adjunct use in ADHD with anxiety (not primary anxiety treatment), and late-day rebound near bedtime. She describes “peanut butter and jelly” synergy with stimulants, monitoring vitals, dosing/titration, sedation differences (more with clonidine), and the need to taper to avoid rebound hypertension. Check out our website PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources! Follow us on Instagram @psyched4peds Check out our NEW CME Audio-based, on-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.  https://ce.nemours.org/content/podcast-series-cracking-adhd-code-essential-skills-pediatric-clinicians#group-tabs-node-course-default1

  7. Aug 11 ·  Video

    78. ADHD Meds: Which Stimulant Should you start first?

    Send us Fan Mail It’s back-to-school season—and that often means a surge of ADHD concerns as academic demands ramp up, especially around key school transitions like 3rd, 6th, and 9th grade.  In this episode of ADHD, Anxiety, and More, Dr. Elise Fallucco  shares a practical, confidence-building approach to picking stimulant treatment for children and teens, answering questions like: Which ADHD medication should I start first? When should you use methylphenidate medications like Ritalin or Concerta? When should you use amphetamine-salt medications like Adderall or Vyvanse? How does family history help direct treatment choices? When does it make sense to try a d-methylphenidate medication like Focalin?  00:00 Podcast Rebrand Update 00:30 Back to School ADHD Surge 01:09 ADHD Evaluation Basics 02:36 Case Introduction Third Grader 03:04 Rule of Three Transitions 04:09 Parents Nervous About Meds 04:45 Family History Medication Clues 06:06 Step One Start Methylphenidate 06:33 Short Acting First Rationale 08:05 When to Use Long Acting 08:30 Long Acting Coverage Limits 09:27 Step Two Try Amphetamines 10:59 Step Three Consider Focalin 11:52 Wrap Up Simple Stimulant Toolkit 12:43 Bonus Algorithm and Course 14:00 Closing and Next Week Preview Check out our website PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources! Follow us on Instagram @psyched4peds Check out our NEW CME Audio-based, on-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.  https://ce.nemours.org/content/podcast-series-cracking-adhd-code-essential-skills-pediatric-clinicians#group-tabs-node-course-default1

  8. Jul 14

    Helping Kids Thrive Through Sports with Coach Peter Verhoef (Summer Replay)

    Send us Fan Mail What can we learn from an Elite Coach about how to help young athletes THRIVE through sports? Join us as we chat with Coach Peter Verhoef, head coach and aquatics director at the Bolles School Swimming Program and former Olympic Trials finalist (2x). We discuss:  Why do so many kids quit organized sports by age 13?How can we prevent burnout?When are teens MOST vulnerable to burnout? How much time off/rest is reasonable? Does it very by sport?03:36 Benefits of Youth sports 06:04 Preventing Burnout in Youth Sports 06:32 Engagement in Youth Sports and Burnout 06:44 Promoting Individual Achievement 08:35 Managing Physical and emotional exhaustion 09:13 Driver's License BURNOUT 12:00 Tips for Parents to help Preventing Burnout 16:21 TIME OFF 20:58 Multi-Sport Athelte vs. Specialization Check out our website PsychEd4Peds.com for more resources! Follow us on Instagram @psyched4peds Check out our NEW CME Audio-based, on-demand CME Course online at: Pediatric Mental Health CME Toolkit - Cracking the ADHD Code: Essentials for Pediatric Clinicians.  https://ce.nemours.org/content/podcast-series-cracking-adhd-code-essential-skills-pediatric-clinicians#group-tabs-node-course-default1

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ADHD, Anxiety & More - formerly Child Mental Health for Pediatric Clinicians  / PsychEd4Peds - is the podcast for pediatric primary care clinicians who want practical, evidence-based guidance for diagnosing and treating children and adolescents with mental health conditions. Hosted by Elise Fallucco, MD, a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist and speaker whose educational programs have helped thousands of  pediatric clinicians improve their confidence in caring for children with mental health problems.  This podcast is for pediatricians, pediatric nurse practitioners, physician assistants, family physicians, and other pediatric clinicians who want to confidently care for kids with ADHD, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral concerns, trauma, and other common pediatric mental health conditions. Each episode translates the latest evidence into practical clinical pearls you can use in your office the very next day. Through conversations with leading experts in child psychiatry, psychology, pediatrics, and behavioral health, Dr. Fallucco shares real-world strategies, diagnostic tips, medication guidance, and communication tools designed specifically for busy primary care clinicians. Are you looking for answers to questions like:• Which ADHD medication should I start first?• When should I use a non-stimulant?• How do I treat ADHD and anxiety together?• Could this be ADHD, anxiety, autism, bipolar disorder, trauma, or a learning disorder?• Which screening tools should I use?• When should I start an SSRI?• How do I manage common medication side effects?• When should I refer to child psychiatry?• How can I support children, teens, and families with confidence? Whether you're evaluating ADHD, treating anxiety, managing behavioral challenges, prescribing stimulants or SSRIs, collaborating with schools, or navigating complex mental health presentations, ADHD, Anxiety & Beyond delivers practical, evidence-based clinical pearls to help you provide exceptional mental health care for children and adolescents.

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