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Abstract

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder that is associated with broad functional impairment among both children and adults. The purpose of this paper is to review and summarize available literature on the economic costs of ADHD, as well as potential economic benefits of treating this condition. A literature search was performed using MEDLINE to identify all published articles on the economic implications of ADHD, and authors were contacted to locate conference abstracts and articles in press that were not yet indexed. In total, 22 relevant items were located including published original studies, economic review articles, conference presentations, and reports available on the Internet. All costs were updated and presented in terms of year 2004 US dollars. A growing body of literature, primarily published in the United States, has demonstrated that ADHD places a substantial economic burden on patients, families, and third-party payers. Results of the medical cost studies consistently indicated that children with ADHD had higher annual medical costs than either matched controls (difference ranged from $503 to $1,343) or non-matched controls (difference ranged from $207 to $1,560) without ADHD. Two studies of adult samples found similar results, with significantly higher annual medical costs among adults with ADHD (ranging from $4,929 to $5,651) than among matched controls (ranging from $1,473 to $2,771). A limited number of studies have examined other economic implications of ADHD including costs to families; costs of criminality among individuals with ADHD; costs related to common psychiatric and medical comorbidities of ADHD; indirect costs associated with work loss among adults with ADHD; and costs of accidents among individuals with ADHD. Treatment cost-effectiveness studies have primarily focused on methylphenidate, which is a cost-effective treatment option with cost-effectiveness ratios ranging from $15,509 to $27,766 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. As new treatments are introduced it will be important to evaluate their cost-effectiveness to provide an indication of their potential value to clinicians, patients, families, and third-party payers.

Comparison of child self-reports and parent proxy-reports on quality of life of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

“…For this reason, it is considered one of the most serious public health problems [4,5], and it causes great economic harm to the children and families dealing with this disorder, as well as to society [6]. …”

Methylphenidate and μ opioid receptor interactions: A pharmacological target for prevention of stimulant abuse

“…Untreated ADHD can have lifelong consequences including debilitating deficiencies in educational, occupational, and interpersonal functioning, with enormous cost to the individual, the family and our entire society (Matza et al, 2005; Matza et al, 2004a; Matza et al, 2004b). Therefore, attempts at developing abuse-free, therapeutically potent MPH assume high priority.…”

Service Use Patterns for Adolescents with ADHD and Comorbid Conduct Disorder

“…3 Overall, considerable evidence suggests that health care expenditures for children with ADHD significantly exceed those for children not diagnosed. 1,3-8 (For a thorough review of the studies examining service utilization among ADHD cases please see Matza et al 9 ).…”