ArticleJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry2026
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Treatment Patterns and Association With Clinical Outcomes in Adolescents and Young Adults with Co-Occurring Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Substance Use Disorder: A Retrospective Analysis.
Article in Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- SGLT2 inhibitors versus GLP-1 receptor agonists and risk of kidney replacement therapy and healthcare utilization in bipolar disorder with chronic kidney disease: An active-comparator, new-user cohort study.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Article
- Treatment patterns and comparative clinical outcomes of ADHD medications in adolescents and young adults with comorbid major depressive disorder.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Article
- Association of SGLT2 inhibitors with suicidality, all-cause mortality, and hospitalization in bipolar disorder: A cohort study of 1.23 million adults.Journal of affective disorders · 2026Article
- Bipolar Disorder in Older Adults: A Comprehensive Overview of Pharmacotherapy Patterns and Clinical Considerations.Drugs & aging · 2026Review
- Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors lower risk of kidney replacement therapy and mortality in bipolar disorder with chronic kidney disease.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThis study evaluated the impact of co-occurring substance use disorder (SUD) on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment patterns and examined clinical outcomes associated with ADHD treatment in adolescents and young adults with both ADHD and SUD.
methodThis retrospective cohort study used TriNetX US Collaborative Network data on 1.23 million individuals 15 to 25 years of age who were diagnosed with ADHD from 2007 to 2024. About 23% (n = 288,159) had co-occurring SUD. Prescription patterns for ADHD medications and associated clinical outcomes were analyzed over 1 year. Relative risks (RRs), hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% CIs were calculated using propensity score matching and Cox proportional hazards models to adjust for confounders.
resultsCentral nervous system (CNS) stimulant prescriptions were less frequent in the ADHD with SUD cohort (RR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.62-0.63), whereas new bupropion prescriptions were slightly more frequent (RR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02-1.08) compared with ADHD without SUD. In ADHD with SUD, ADHD treatment (including prescriptions for CNS stimulants and nonstimulants) was associated with fewer hospitalizations, reduced emergency care, lower risk of suicidal ideation/attempts (range of RRs = 0.74-0.82), and continuous use of psychiatric services (RR = 1.23), but fewer methadone prescriptions (RR = 0.74). Compared with nonstimulants, stimulant treatment was associated with fewer hospitalizations, accidental overdoses, and suicidal ideation/attempts (range of RRs = 0.63-0.79). Overall, ADHD treatment was associated with a 30% lower risk of mortality (aHR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.65-0.75).
conclusionClinicians appear to be hesitant to prescribe CNS stimulants in the context of SUD; however, these findings align with clinical trials suggesting potential benefits of ADHD medication for individuals with co-occurring SUD. Bridging the gap between clinical practice and the evidence base will require ongoing research, clinician education, and policy change. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: This study examined how treatment patterns and outcomes for adolescents and young adults co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance use disorder (SUD). The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study using TriNetX US Collaborative Network data (N = 288,159 youths with ADHD and a co-occurring SUD). Adolescents and young adults with both conditions were less likely to receive ADHD medication, particularly stimulants. However, ADHD treatment was associated with fewer hospitalizations, lower risk of intubation, and reduced mortality. Across multiple outcomes, stimulant medications demonstrated more favorable clinical outcomes than nonstimulants, suggesting potential benefits of certain ADHD medications for individuals with co-occurring SUD.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.