ArticleBiological psychiatry2016
Medication for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Risk for Depression: A Nationwide Longitudinal Cohort Study.
Article in Biological psychiatry, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
69 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 154 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mortality Among People With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2026Pooled it
- Rates of Depression in Children and Adolescents With ADHD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of attention disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases Associated With Medications Used in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents.Pediatrics · 2019Guideline
- Risks and Benefits of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication on Behavioral and Neuropsychiatric Outcomes: A Qualitative Review of Pharmacoepidemiology Studies Using Linked Prescription Databases.Biological psychiatry · 2019Pooled it
- Sustained effects of neurofeedback in ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2019Pooled it
- Trial
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: transition to psychotic disorders.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Review
- Adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes in female adolescents with ADHD and their associations with ADHD medication: a Swedish register-based study.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Psychostimulant Continuation and Postpartum Mental Health in Pregnant People With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.Obstetrics and gynecology · 2026Article
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and premature mortality: A narrative review of the literature.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Review
- Medication Adherence in Children and Adults Receiving Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Sweden: A Nationwide Study.Journal of attention disorders · 2026Article
- Investigating the Symptom Presentation of Depression in Children With ADHD.Journal of attention disorders · 2026Article
- Antecedents and outcomes of a later attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis in females.The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2026Article
- Clinical Features of Adults With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Focusing on Their Adherence to Medication.Psychiatry investigation · 2026Article
- Remote monitoring of wide-ranging real-world changes in adults following ADHD medication initiation.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- Improving healthcare information for young people with ADHD in general practice: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- A Review of Sex and Gender Factors in Stimulant Treatment for ADHD: Knowledge Gaps and Future Directions.Journal of attention disorders · 2025Review
9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with high rates of psychiatric comorbidity, including depression. However, it is unclear whether ADHD medication increases or decreases the risk for depression.
methodsWe studied all individuals with a diagnosis of ADHD born between 1960 and 1998 in Sweden (N = 38,752). We obtained data for prescription of ADHD medication, diagnosis of depression and other psychiatric disorders, and sociodemographic factors from population-based registers. The association between ADHD medication and depression was estimated with Cox proportional hazards regression.
resultsAfter adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical confounders, ADHD medication was associated with a reduced long-term risk (i.e., 3 years later) for depression (hazard ratio = 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.51-0.67). The risk was lower for longer duration of ADHD medication. Also, ADHD medication was associated with reduced rates of concurrent depression; within-individual analysis suggested that occurrence of depression was 20% less common during periods when patients received ADHD medication compared with periods when they did not (hazard ratio = 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.70-0.92).
conclusionsOur study suggests that ADHD medication does not increase the risk of later depression; rather, medication was associated with a reduced risk for subsequent and concurrent depression.
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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.