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Five-fold increase in ADHD medication use in children and adolescents

Date:
September 10, 2013
Source:
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers
Summary:
Use of stimulant medications to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents has increased significantly over the past several years. This trend toward increased use of prescription stimulants extends beyond ADHD to other types of neuropsychiatric disorders in children and teens as well, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to a new study
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 Use of stimulant medications to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents has increased significantly over the past several years. This trend toward increased use of prescription stimulants extends beyond ADHD to other types of neuropsychiatric disorders in children and teens as well, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to a study published in Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.

Søren Dalsgaard, MD, PhD, Helena Skyt Nielsen, PhD, and Marianne Simonsen, PhD, Aarhus University (Denmark), Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (Denmark), and Hospital of Telemark (Norway), conducted a study of more than 850,000 children born in Denmark between 1990 and 2001. They found that 61% of children with ADHD, 16% of children with ASD, and 3% of those with other psychiatric disorders were treated with one or more medications typically prescribed for ADHD—methylphenidate, dexamphetamine, and atomoxetine. The data indicated significant increases in the prescription rates of these medications during the years 2003 to 2010.

"This study utilizes a population-based national cohort of children and adolescents, and assesses stimulant treatment in children and adolescents with ASD,” says Harold S. Koplewicz, MD, Editor-in-Chief of JCAP, and President, Child Mind Institute, New York, NY. “This is the largest and first prospective study to quantify the change in the use of treatment with ADHD medications over time.” 


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Materials provided by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Søren Dalsgaard, Helena Skyt Nielsen, Marianne Simonsen. Five-Fold Increase in National Prevalence Rates of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medications for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and other Psychiatric Disorders: A Danish Registe. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 2013; 130909061602008 DOI: 10.1089/cap.2012.0111

Cite This Page:

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers. "Five-fold increase in ADHD medication use in children and adolescents." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 September 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130910141508.htm>.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers. (2013, September 10). Five-fold increase in ADHD medication use in children and adolescents. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 2, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130910141508.htm
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers. "Five-fold increase in ADHD medication use in children and adolescents." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130910141508.htm (accessed November 2, 2024).

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