Medication for ADHD also in adults

Study: ADHD drugs should also show effects in adults

04/20/2012

The treatment of AHDS with methylphenidate (trade name Ritalin) is a hot topic. While many doctors and therapists refer to the success of Ritalin treatment, the critics are the numerous side effects and inadequacies in the prescribing practice in the foreground.

A recent study by the Research Association for the Psychotherapy of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in childhood and adulthood concludes that „the established in children and adolescents treatment methods also useful in adults“ are. The researchers evaluated the efficacy of methylphenidate compared to placebo on 433 ADHD patients.

Many adults also have ADHD
According to experts in Germany, significantly more than 400,000 patients are being treated with the active substance methylphenidate, with a drastic increase especially in recent decades. If ADHD was previously diagnosed primarily in children and adolescents, today many adults also receive a corresponding diagnosis. Patients may be treated with Ritalin from adolescence to adulthood. „So far, however, there have been no larger controlled trials comparing the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for adulthood“, explained spokesman of the research network "ADHD-net", Andreas Warnke of the University Hospital Würzburg the occasion of the current study.

Drug treatment of ADHD with significant benefits?
The 433 adult study participants were divided into four groups and examined at seven research centers as part of the study by the Research Association for the Psychotherapy of ADHD. One group of ADHD patients received group therapy and the active ingredient methylphenidate (trade name Ritalin), a second group advice and also methylphenidate, the third received group therapy and a placebo, the fourth got advice and a placebo. Although the evaluation of the data has not yet been completed, it is already clear that the drug therapy is significantly superior to treatment without additional medication, explained Andreas Warnke at the Psychotherapy Congress 2012 in Hanover.

Unexplained risks of continuous Ritalin treatment
A use of methylphenidate for ADHD treatment, which ranges from adolescence to adulthood, despite its possible success, not only in the opinion of Ritalin opponents to evaluate quite critical. The risks of continuous treatment with methylphenidate are difficult to estimate. The side effects of decades of taking Ritalin can not be conclusively clarified. In addition, since a medical treatment extends over years in case of doubt, securing the diagnosis is of particular importance. It was not until 2010 that the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) had spoken out in favor of changing the prescription practice of Ritalin, as it is too often based on a misdiagnosis. General practitioners without additional training should therefore not decide on the prescription of methylphenidate-containing drugs, according to the assessment of the G-BA. ADHD is one of the most common childhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders diagnosed, with typical signs of poor concentration, motor restlessness and impulsivity. Due to the behavior of ADHD patients, the term "Zappelphilipp syndrome" is also mentioned here. (Fp)

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Picture: Andrea Damm