What is ADHD?
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur in the moment without thought).
ADHD is considered a chronic and debilitating disorder and is known to impact the individual in many aspects of their life, including academic and professional achievements, interpersonal relationships, and daily functioning. ADHD is characterised by difficulties with concentration and impulse control. Roughly 5% of children and 2.5% of adults are estimated to have the condition, which is also associated with an increased risk of substance misuse and self-harm.
According to the recent reports, Drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were linked to a reduced risk of suicidal behaviour, substance misuse and criminality in the first research of its kind. The research, based on the medical records of nearly 150,000 people in Sweden, suggested that the drugs could have meaningful benefits beyond helping with the core symptoms of ADHD.
The findings come amid increasing debate around whether ADHD is being overdiagnosed and therefore over-treated with drugs like Ritalin. The study also found declines in the risk for criminality and transport accidents. When looking at the recurrence of these behaviours, there were also benefits linked to the medication.
While the trial cannot show direct causation and could be confounded by factors such as ADHD severity, it provides doctors with vital evidence showing that drugs can address and reduce important risks, according to one of the authors. “These data should inform clinical guidelines, policies and current debates,” said Samuele Cortese, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Southampton.
The benefit was greater for patients taking stimulant medications than non-stimulant medications in the study. Stimulants include drugs like Novartis AG’s Ritalin, while non-stimulants include Eli Lilly & Co.’s Strattera.
The study results echo other similar conclusions, but “the large sample size, use of a national registry, and more sophisticated analysis give greater confidence in these results that findings aren’t explained by something else other than medication use,” said Adam Guastella, a clinical psychologist who works at Sydney Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Center. He was not involved in the research.
Prescriptions in England for ADHD medicines have increased 18% year on year since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to research published in the BMJ Mental Health this year. The surge is believed to be linked to greater awareness of the condition.
