NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – New research suggests that treatment with methylphenidate and other stimulants may help prevent the development of comorbid psychiatric disorders, as well as improve educational outcomes, in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

While numerous studies have shown that stimulant therapy for ADHD produces marked improvements in core symptoms, the impact, if any, on the development of other mental illnesses was unclear, according to the report in the July issue of Pediatrics.

Dr. Joseph Biederman, from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues investigated this topic further in 112 ADHD patients, 6 to 18 years of age, who were followed for 10 years.

Overall, 73% of the subjects were treated with stimulants, the report indicates. Stimulant users were significantly less likely to develop major depression (hazard ratio, 0.22), conduct disorder (HR, 0.21), oppositional-defiant disorder (HR, 0.21), and multiple anxiety disorders (HR, 0.15) than were nonusers.

Children treated with stimulants were also less likely to repeat a grade compared with their untreated peers (HR, 0.25), the authors note.

“Our study provides novel evidence that stimulant treatment is associated with a lower risk for the subsequent development of psychopathology and grade retention,” the investigators state. “If confirmed by clinical trials, these findings could assist clinicians in treatment planning and forecasting prognosis for youth with ADHD, and could contribute to our understanding of the trajectories leading to these disorders.”

Reference:
Pediatrics 2009;124:71-78.