SynthesisBiological psychiatry2019
Risks and Benefits of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Medication on Behavioral and Neuropsychiatric Outcomes: A Qualitative Review of Pharmacoepidemiology Studies Using Linked Prescription Databases.
Synthesis in Biological psychiatry, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 87 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
87 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Benefits and harms of ADHD interventions: umbrella review and platform for shared decision making.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2025Pooled it
- In utero exposure to methylphenidate, amphetamines and atomoxetine and offspring neurodevelopmental disorders - a population-based cohort study and meta-analysis.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Antidepressants in Children and Adolescents: Meta-Review of Efficacy, Tolerability and Suicidality in Acute Treatment.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- 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
- Psychiatric and neurological predictors of early ADHD medication discontinuation across the lifespan: a multinational study.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Child and adolescent psychiatry: challenges, solutions, opportunities, and future directions.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2026Article
- Pharmacotherapies for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Risk of Suicidal Behavior: A Within-Individual Study of Stimulants, Atomoxetine, and Alpha-2 Agonists.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026Article
- Academic Outcomes in Primary and Secondary School Students Prescribed Long-Acting Stimulants for ADHD Management.Journal of attention disorders · 2026Article
- Common and rare variant contributions to discontinuation of stimulant treatment in ADHD.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- Use of methylphenidate and the risk of cardiovascular diseases in children and adolescents with a family history of heart diseases and congenital heart diseases: A self-controlled case series study.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Pharmacological management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults.Australian prescriber · 2026Article
- Unmet Needs and Service Priorities for ADHD in Australia: AI-Assisted Analysis of Senate Inquiry Submissions.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Clinical predictors of stimulant efficacy in adults with ADHD.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- ADHD remote technology and ADHD transition: predicting and preventing negative outcomes (ART-transition) - an adolescent prospective cohort study protocol.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Preregistration of high-quality protocols in pharmacoepidemiology research.JCPP advances · 2025Article
- Clinical response to a single-dose methylphenidate challenge is indicative of treatment response at two months in adults with ADHD.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- Pharmacological management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents.Australian prescriber · 2025Review
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults: evidence base, uncertainties and controversies.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2025Article
- Serotonin-dopamine interactions in psychostimulant-induced gene regulation: SSRI antidepressants potentiate gene regulation by methylphenidate (Ritalin) in the striatum and enhance behavioral profile indicative of addiction liability in rodents.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2025Review
27 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication is one of the most commonly prescribed medication classes in child and adolescent psychiatry, and its use is increasing rapidly in adult psychiatry. However, major questions and concerns remain regarding the benefits and risks of ADHD medication, especially in real-world settings. We conducted a qualitative systematic review of studies that investigated the effects of ADHD medication on behavioral and neuropsychiatric outcomes using linked prescription databases from the last 10 years and identified 40 studies from Europe, North America, and Asia. Among them, 18 used within-individual designs to account for confounding by indication. These studies suggested short-term beneficial effects of ADHD medication on several behavioral or neuropsychiatric outcomes (i.e., injuries, motor vehicle accidents, education, substance use disorder), with estimates suggesting relative risk reduction of 9% to 58% for these outcomes. The within-individual studies found no evidence of increased risks for suicidality and seizures. Replication studies are needed for several other important outcomes (i.e., criminality, depression, mania, psychosis). The available evidence from pharmacoepidemiology studies on long-term effects of ADHD medication was less clear. We discuss time-varying confounding and other limitations that should be considered when interpreting results from pharmacoepidemiology studies. Furthermore, we highlight several knowledge gaps to be addressed in future research and implications for research on mechanisms of outcomes of ADHD medications.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.