Study: ADHD Symptoms Persist Despite Drugs
A new study on ADHD drugs from Johns Hopkins was reported in The Atlantic magazine, “Study: ADHD Symptoms Persist Despite Medication in 9 Out of 10 Kids.” It found that 160 out of 180 kids on ADHD medicine still exhibited ADHD symptoms 6 years later. The parents, when interviewed, claimed the ADHD had been chronic through the 6 years.
There were unanswered questions raised by the study: Were the children each prescribed the right medicine for him/her? Did they take the medicine correctly? Were they diagnosed too young? These children were diagnosed at 4-1/2 years old – too young for a full neuropsychoeducational evaluation. So maybe ADHD drugs don’t really manage ADHD. Or maybe some of these kids never had it. Or maybe something else. ADHD/ADD is complicated and approaches to management must change if they are ineffective. No point in continuing to give a child a stimulant drug when it’s not working.
