July 20, 2007 Four reports in the August 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry discuss outcomes of various types of treatment for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In an analysis of the studies released today, the National Institute of Mental Health in the National Institutes of Health reported improvement following ADHD treatment in most children. "We were struck by the remarkable improvement in symptoms and functioning across all treatment groups," said Dr. Peter Jensen of Columbia University, who led one of the studies. The studies found, however, that children treated in a variety of ways for ADHD were at higher than normal risk for behavioral problems such as delinquency and substance abuse. And although half to two-thirds of children in the treatment groups were taking medication for more than three years, the studies found continuing medication was no longer associated with better outcomes by the third year. One of the studies found that taking medication slowed growth in children, and although growth became normal in the third year of medication, children never made up for the earlier slowing. The studies, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, expect to follow the participating children as they enter adolescence and adulthood. |
