Samuele Cortese, MD, PhD: The Current State of ADHD Treatment

Treatment for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is best as a combination of pharmacologic options with non-pharmacologic therapy.

However, researchers continue to examine the best practices for this patient population in regard to what treatment options are optimal and in what order.

Recently, in an article posted in the New England Journal of Medicine, Samuele Cortese, MD, PhD, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Southampton, examined the current state of pharmacologic treatment for ADHD.

Cortese reviewed current literature and found geographic variation in the prevalence of medication use for the disorder in 2014 ranged from 0.39% in France to 5.56% in the US for children and adolescents. The range was also 0.01% in Hong Kong to 2.11% in the US for adults.

Overall, the prevalence of ADHD medication use was substantially lower than the estimated prevalence of ADHD from 2001-2015.

Cortese also examined the efficacy and effectiveness of the ADHD medications and found the effects of ADHD medications on measures of quality of life have correlated inconsistently with abatement of ADHD symptoms.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Cortese explained how the study could drive different practices in ADHD treatment patterns and how clinical trials for new and existing ADHD medications could be changed.