Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20839896›Full record

SynthesisCNS drugs2010

The impact of medications on quality of life in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review.

David Coghill

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in CNS drugs, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
48citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
4.7field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

48 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 102 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. Long-term functional outcome in adult prison inmates with ADHD receiving OROS-methylphenidate.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2012
    Trial
  12. Association between child ADHD and caregivers' mental health and health-related quality of life: results from a population-based study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
    Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.

David CoghillCentre for Neuroscience, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Dundee, Centre for Child Health, Dundee, UK. d.r.coghill@dundee.ac.uk
University of Dundee · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Quality of life (QOL) describes an individual's subjective perception of their position in life as evidenced by their physical, psychological and social functioning. Although an established outcome measure in physical health, QOL has more recently become an increasingly important measure in mental health clinical work and research. This article reviews the evidence describing the impact of medications on QOL in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Databases were searched for research studies describing the effects of medication on QOL in ADHD: 25 relevant studies were identified. Most (n = 20) of these studies have focused on children and adolescents, and most have investigated a single molecule, atomoxetine (n = 15), with relatively few studies investigating methylphenidate (n = 5), amfetamines (n = 4) and manifaxine (n = 1). These studies support a positive short-term effect of medication on QOL in ADHD for children, adolescents and adults that mirrors, to some extent, the effects of these medications on ADHD symptoms, although with smaller effect sizes. Notwithstanding measurement issues, it will continue to be important that those designing and conducting clinical trials in ADHD, including both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, continue to include measures of QOL as secondary outcome measures. In particular, information about QOL effects in adults and in subjects of all ages taking methylphenidate and amfetamine treatments is urgently needed. The lack of systematic studies of the impact on QOL of psychological therapies, either on their own or in multimodal combinations with medication, is a serious omission that should be urgently addressed.

Indexed as

Quality of LifeAdrenergic Uptake InhibitorsAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityCentral Nervous System StimulantsHumansAdrenergic Uptake InhibitorsCentral Nervous System Stimulants

Identifiers

PMID20839896
OpenAlexW25938887

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.