A 36 Month Naturalistic Retrospective Study of Clinic-Treated Youth with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Within the first 6 months of visiting the hospital, >40% of the patients dropped out of treatment regardless of methylphenidate (MPH) use. Twenty percent of the subjects showed adherence to MPH medication after 36 months.

Efficacy and safety of atomoxetine hydrochloride in Korean adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

“…Determining reasons why a higher percentage of Korean patients compared with the percentage of Asian patients in the main trial (n = 10; 5.1%) were lost to follow-up could shed light on why the aforementioned differences of the discontinuation rate in study results between the main trial and post hoc analysis occurred. Alternatively, although the discontinuation rate for the Korean subpopulation was higher than those of the Japanese and the Taiwanese subpopulations, Hong et al (2014) reported a comparable discontinuation rate among Korean pediatric patients with ADHD (42.4%) during the first 6 months after the treatment was initiated. It is possible that this same phenomenon might also occur in Korean adult patients.…”

Comparison of Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Depending on the Age of Being Diagnosed in Childhood and Adulthood: Based on Retrospective Review in One University Hospital

“…It is controversial as to whether ADHD treatment can affect intelligence in adulthood, but a long-term study on natural progression in ADHD patients revealed that patients who were not treated during childhood showed a lower IQ in adulthood. 26) In an ADHD treatment compliance study, 14) children who terminated treatment early revealed that parents' education levels and the pediatric patients' IQ were higher compared to the group who maintained long-term treatment. That is, because pediatric patients with high intelligence discontinued treatment early, it is likely that the IQ of the CD in this study was lower than that of the AD.…”

Naturalistic Pharmacotherapy Compliance among Pediatric Patients with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a Study Based on Three-Year Nationwide Data

“…We also investigated drug continuance according to the number of hospital visits. Considering the high treatment drop-out rate by the authors ( 18 ), the distribution of drop-out rates over 6 months for the treatment drop-out group was analyzed in 1-month units.…”

“…Although the results of previous studies differ, due to methodological differences, 3-year long-term drug compliance for pediatric ADHD patients is approximately 30% ( 11 - 16 ). In particular, there are large differences in the 6-month drop-out rate, at 20% ( 17 ), 42.4% ( 18 ), and more than 80% ( 19 ), depending on the drop-out criteria. Although the treatment discontinuance rate is high, it is also not true that all pediatric patients receive medicinal treatment after diagnosis of ADHD.…”

“…Various methods are used to assess continuation of drug treatment, including the medication possession ratio or “MPR” ( 24 - 26 ) and gap days ( 27 ). In a previous study on a small sample ( 18 ), authors suggested that it was not appropriate to apply the same criteria for drug treatment in psychiatry, particularly pediatric ADHD, as those applied to other chronic diseases, such as hypertension. At the same time, authors proposed the need for verification in a larger sample.…”