[ad_1]
Some parents may be reluctant to give their children powerful stimulants to treat the symptoms of Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but a new review shows that drugs bring significant benefits.
In addition to helping children calm down and concentrate in school, the review also found that medications helped them avoid many of the long-term negative consequences of ADHD, including depression, substance abuse, and even substance abuse. driving problems.
Importance of ADHD treatment
"Treating ADHD can help children avoid some of the serious complications badociated with ADHD," said Dr. Joseph Biederman, author of the study. He is responsible for clinical and research programs in pediatric psychopharmacology and ADHD in adults at Mbadachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Specifically, the study suggested that early use of ADHD-stimulating drugs was linked to a lower risk of:
- Major depression
- Anxiety
- Oppositional provocative disorder
- Conduct disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Smoking
- Substance abuse
- Driving problems, such as car accidents
- Bad performance at school
Although the current study can not prove the existence of a definitive cause-and-effect relationship, Dr. Alan Geller, a psychiatrist at Gracie Square Hospital in New York, who treats children and adolescents , said that it made sense that the treatment of ADHD symptoms can help prevent other problems. .
"A hyperactive child who interrupts and disrupts clbad is annoying and ends up being marginalized, which can lead to substance abuse or impaired driving, or depression and anxiety. they are constantly frustrated, "he said.
Problem without treatment
Geller said that adults with ADHD can have problems at work and have difficulties in their personal lives.
"It can start at seven or eight when they are not able to lead life like other children, they end up feeling lonely and can not help, it is a major problem without treatment," he said. he declared.
But, said Geller, this study shows that if you treat a child with medications that help him control his ADHD symptoms, there is less risk of marginalization or seeking stimulation, for example in cigarettes or careless driving.
Geller said the findings underscore the benefits of ADHD medications outweighing their risks. Adverse effects of these medications include mild height suppression, appetite suppression, and potential risk of addiction.
The review included three studies. Two long-term prospective studies of children with and without ADHD. Some of the children diagnosed with ADHD were treated with stimulant medications and others not.
The average age of young people in the study was 11 years old at the beginning of the study. They were 20 at the follow-up.
Future research
The third study focused on ADHD in young adults (18 to 26 years old). The researchers checked the performance of the volunteers on a driving simulator before starting to take stimulants and then six weeks after the start of treatment.
The researchers calculated the number of people who needed medication so that we could see the benefit. They found:
- Three people were to be treated with an ADHD medication to prevent a child from repeating or developing an anxiety, conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder.
- Four people needed treatment to prevent a person from experiencing major depression or an accident during the driving simulation.
- Five people needed treatment to prevent bipolar disorder.
- Six people had to be treated to prevent a person from smoking cigarettes and ten people had to be treated for one person to avoid a substance use disorder.
Researchers are planning future research to see if treating ADHD with drugs can help reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and suicide. They also plan to study whether ADHD treatment is linked to job success, Biederman said.
The journal was published in Journal of Adolescent Health.
Funding for the studies in this study came from several countries, including the US National Institutes of Health and, for one study, the pharmaceutical manufacturer Shire. Shire is now part of Takeda and manufactures stimulant drugs for ADHD such as Adderall XR, Mydayis and Vyvanse. The study's authors stated that research funders had no role to play in the design, implementation or reports of the review.
Image credit: iStock
[ad_2]
Source link
