ADHD Research News
Trends in Stimulant Prescription Fills Among Commercially Insured Children and Adults—United States, 2016-2021
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, March 31, 2023
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Summary:
What is already known about this topic?
Prescriptions for stimulants, primarily used to treat attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), were increasing for adults before the COVID-19 pandemic. Policies enacted during the pandemic expanded access to prescription stimulants via telehealth.
What is added by this report?
The percentage of adolescent and adult females and adult males receiving prescription stimulant fills increased during 2016-2021, particularly during 2020-2021.
What are the implications for public health practice?
Growing recognition of ADHD in adults and increases in prescription stimulant fills raise questions about current adult ADHD care. Development of clinical recommendations for diagnosing and managing adult ADHD could help guide safe and appropriate stimulant prescribing. Evaluation of policies enacted during the pandemic could identify benefits and harms of those policies.
Read about these ADHD research studies in this week's ADHD in the News:
- Werner, Kennedy et al. (2023). Non-Stimulant Therapy for ADHD Is Associated With Prescription Stimulant Misuse During Adolescence. Abstract presented at American Psychiatric Association 2023 Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA. May 20-24, 2023.
-
Shrey, Grover et al. (2023). A meta-analysis suggests that tACS improves cognition in healthy, aging, and psychiatric populations. Science Translational Medicine, 15(697), Article eabo2044. DOI:10.1126/scitranslmed.abo2044