Methylphenidate—better known by its brand name, Ritalin—has long been a popular and controversial drug. It treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, diagnoses of which have risen sharply over the past decade. In 2013, four percent of American teenage boys and two percent of American teenage girls told surveyors that they had taken drugs for ADHD sometime in the past month. Now, ADHD drugs rank alongside antidepressants as the most commonly used psychiatric medications among American teens. Meanwhile, many American parents seem to struggle with their decisions to medicate their kids, worrying about how difficult it can be to draw a bright line between behavior that's restless, but "normal," and behavior that's worthy of treating with drugs.
A new review of the best available evidence adds some important data to the debate. Scientists have conducted perhaps hundreds of randomized controlled trials—considered the "gold standard" of medical evidence—on methylphenidate's effectiveness in kids with ADHD. Yet even these randomized controlled trials had systematic flaws, argues Ole Jakob StorebØ, a clinical psychologist who conducts research for Region Zealand in Denmark. StorebØ led an international team of scientists in rigorously reviewing the available trials. The team found "the quality of the evidence was very low," according to a report published yesterday by the Cochrane Collaboration. As a result, it's unclear how much methylphenidate really helps. At best, StorebØ's team writes, "Methylphenidate might improve some of the core symptoms of ADHD—reducing hyperactivity and impulsivity and helping children to concentrate."
[For more of this story, written by Francie Diep, go to http://www.psmag.com/health-an...henidate-really-work]
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