In the late 1990’s, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) set out to provide the most extensive review ever conducted of the effectiveness of ADHD medications in children. It was known as the Multisite Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA study). In 1999, NIMH announced that after 14 months, well-constructed medication management programs provided better results than other treatments, including behavioral therapy. But the study was not over, and the tables started to turn as detailed in the new book by Robert Whitaker and Lisa Cosgrove. By the end of three years, medication not only provided no more benefits over other options, it actually predicted greater deterioration of symptoms. In other words, children that were taking medications exhibited worse outcomes (e.g., more delinquency) than those who were not. They also ended up six pounds lighter and an inch shorter than their unmedicated counterparts. After six years, medication use was associated with increased hyperactivity, impulsivity, and oppositionality, and overall functional impairment. Those who had used behavioral therapy alone were less likely to be depressed or anxious.
NIMH investigators were shocked. Even after analyzing a number of potential confounding variables thought to contribute to the unexpected findings, they finally concluded, “The findings…were not consistent with views and expectations about medication effects held by many investigators and clinicians in the field. That is, long-term benefits from consistent treatment were not documented…”
The investigators acknowledged that despite previously held beliefs, good science had demonstrated otherwise. It seemed this large scale study would provide clear guidance for those using and prescribing drugs to kids once it was released to the public at large. That never happened. Multiple papers and titles did not report the negative findings, instead highlighting the short-term benefits while minimizing the negative outcomes. The NIMH press release announced the great news, “Improvement Following ADHD Treatment Sustained in Most Children” although they left out that “sustained” only meant through 14 months. Parents were assured by NIMH that despite having no clear gains after three years, medications were the way to go, even for the long-term. Discussion of the negative results was very difficult to find. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) published the ADHD Parents Medication Guide that continued to espouse the positive effects of medication found in the MTA study. And yet, despite the assurance given to move forward with medication treatment, other large scale studies have continued to find disappointing long-term effects .
For more on this article by James Schroeder please see this link: http://www.madinamerica.com/20...can-distort-reality/
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