Landmark ADHD Study Backed Drugs Over Therapy at a Cost: Report
Children denied counseling may have lost out, experts say
Some experts today cite limitations of the original study, which looked at classic ADHD symptoms such as forgetfulness and restlessness over academic achievement and family and peer interactions. This gave medication an edge over therapy from the get-go, several people involved with the study told the Times.
"When you asked families what they really liked, they liked combined treatment," said Dr. Peter Jensen, formerly head of child psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) who oversaw the study for the institute. "They didn't not like medicine, but they valued skill training. What doctors think are the best outcomes and what families think are the best outcomes aren't always the same thing."
For the study, the NIMH enlisted more than a dozen experts to determine the best ADHD treatment. Close to 600 children with ADHD, aged 7 to 9, received one of four treatments for more than a year: medication alone, behavioral therapy alone, a combination of both treatments, or nothing in addition to their current treatment.
The study authors concluded in a 1999 paper that medication was superior to behavioral treatment.
But when the children in the study were followed into adulthood, the study results looked less conclusive. Use of any treatment "does not predict functioning six to eight years later," a follow-up paper from the study determined, the Times reported.
ADHD in Children Slideshow
Landmark ADHD Study Backed Drugs Over Therapy at a Cost: Report
Children denied counseling may have lost out, experts say
Some experts today cite limitations of the original study, which looked at classic ADHD symptoms such as forgetfulness and restlessness over academic achievement and family and peer interactions. This gave medication an edge over therapy from the get-go, several people involved with the study told the Times.
"When you asked families what they really liked, they liked combined treatment," said Dr. Peter Jensen, formerly head of child psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) who oversaw the study for the institute. "They didn't not like medicine, but they valued skill training. What doctors think are the best outcomes and what families think are the best outcomes aren't always the same thing."
For the study, the NIMH enlisted more than a dozen experts to determine the best ADHD treatment. Close to 600 children with ADHD, aged 7 to 9, received one of four treatments for more than a year: medication alone, behavioral therapy alone, a combination of both treatments, or nothing in addition to their current treatment.
The study authors concluded in a 1999 paper that medication was superior to behavioral treatment.
But when the children in the study were followed into adulthood, the study results looked less conclusive. Use of any treatment "does not predict functioning six to eight years later," a follow-up paper from the study determined, the Times reported.
ADHD in Children Slideshow
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