Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40432373›Full record

ArticlePsychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)2025

Recent Trends in Medication Treatment for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Haiden A Huskamp, Alisa B Busch, Richard G Frank

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. University Students and the Stimulant Shortage: A Survey of Strategies to Obtain Medication, Consequences of Shortages, and Mental Health Correlates.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
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

3 authors.

Haiden A HuskampDepartment of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Huskamp, Busch); McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts (Busch); Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. (Frank).
Alisa B BuschDepartment of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Huskamp, Busch); McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts (Busch); Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. (Frank).
Richard G FrankDepartment of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Huskamp, Busch); McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts (Busch); Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. (Frank).

Funding

Research Support CoreP30DA035772 · NIDA · BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY · PI Maureen T Stewart · 2015 to 2026
$11.3M
Use of Telemedicine in the Treatment of Mental IllnessR01MH112829 · NIMH · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI HUSKAMP, HAIDEN A., MEHROTRA, ATEEV · 2018 to 2025
$5.8M
Telemedicine for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: NIDA Summer Research Internship ProgramR01DA048533 · NIDA · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI Haiden A Huskamp, Ateev Mehrotra · 2019 to 2026
$5.6M
NIDA NIH HHS P30 DA035772NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA048533NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH112829
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis rates and stimulant use have increased recently, particularly among adults, in the context of increased telehealth use and shortages in stimulant medications. To better understand changes in ADHD medication use and inform policy governing the prescribing of these medications, this study aimed to compare stimulant and nonstimulant fills for 2019 versus 2023.

methodsThis study used national all-payer prescription claims data for 2019 (before onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) and 2023 to calculate stimulant and nonstimulant ADHD medication fill rates overall and by patient age and prescriber specialty.

resultsTotal ADHD medication fills increased 23.8%, from 72,849,441 in 2019 to 90,183,437 in 2023; stimulants accounted for most fills (91.4% in 2019; 88.9% in 2023). Whereas the number of stimulant fills rose 20.4% from 2019 to 2023, the number of nonstimulant fills increased at three times that rate (60.1%). Both stimulant and nonstimulant fills increased among adults, whereas stimulant fills decreased 6.5% among children (ages 0-18). Nurse practitioners and physician assistants were responsible for one in three ADHD prescription fills in 2023; nonstimulants were prescribed most commonly by these providers and by psychiatrists.

conclusionsThe number of ADHD medication fills rose substantially from 2019 to 2023. Although a majority of 2023 fills were stimulants, nonstimulant fills sharply increased, even though nonstimulants are not the first-choice ADHD medication treatment. This increase was likely due in part to stimulant shortages that continue to limit access to ADHD pharmacotherapy nationwide.

Indexed as

Attention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityCentral Nervous System StimulantsDrug PrescriptionsPractice Patterns, Physicians'Psychotropic DrugsAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolDatabases, FactualFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleUnited StatesCentral Nervous System StimulantsPsychotropic Drugsattention-deficit hyperactivity disordermedication treatmentpharmacotherapytelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID40432373
PMCPMC12341091

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Registered trials

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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.