Antipsychotics are being prescribed to children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) despite its previous limited effectiveness tests and its significant risk of damage.
1 june 2017
According to the study called ADHD treatment in primary care: Demographic factors, medication trends and treatment predictors(ADHD treatment in Primary Care: demographic factors, medication trends and treatment predictors), carried out by researchers from the Institute of Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences of Toronto (Canada) in order to determine the prevalence and characteristics of young people being diagnosed with ADHD and to know the predictors of the pharmacological treatment.
For that purpose, authors have carried out a retrospective study of transversal cut, which consists of revising more than 250,000 medical histories of Primary Care belonging to people up to 24 years of age. 10,000 histories were randomly selected and revised using diagnostic criteria for ADHD as well as comorbidities. After that, prevalence rates were calculated along with the comorbidities, demographic indicators and use of health systems.
Obtained data revealed a prevalence of ADHD of a 5.4%. Also significant comorbidities were found with other mental disorders. Most of the patients diagnosed with ADHD got treated with stimulant and non-stimulant psychopharmacological drugs. Amphetamines and methylphenidates were the most prescribed.
However, 11.9% of them were treated with antipsychotic drugs (mostly risperidone) and a 19.8% with antidepressants. Predictor factors of this last option of treatment were age, the valuation made in the psychiatric consultation and a comorbid diagnose of anxiety and depression. Nevertheless, the only predictor of intervention with antipsychotics was the valuation of the psychiatric consultation. Authors also found out that one out of four patients who got this medication did not present any other psychiatric diagnose apart from ADHD that suggested its use.
Antipsychotics are being prescribed to children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) despite its previous limited effectiveness tests and its significant risk of damage.
According to this study, this kind of medicament is usually prescribed to children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder despite having made limited effectiveness tests and considering the damage risk significant. Actually, while risperidone has a moderate impact in some young people with ADHD’s behaviours and ─like opposition behaviours and aggressiveness, there is limited evidence supporting its use and stating that they are not effective when it comes to the treatment of main symptoms of this disorder (lack of attention and hyperactivity).
Having this in mind, the study states that what is the most concerning fact is that more than 25% of the patients treated with antipsychotics did not have a comorbid diagnose, needed for the prescription of this kind of medication.
As stated in the press release by the main author of this study, Paul Kurdyak, “we do not know why these children and young people with ADHD are having antipsychotic drugs, but there is a risk related to early exposition to these. We need to know more about the reason these are being prescribed. That way, we can consider the benefits and risks of its use”.
