Ritalin may lower long-term risk of psychosis in children with ADHD.

A study of nearly 4,000 people diagnosed with childhood ADHD found that those prescribed methylphenidate during childhood were not at increased risk of psychosis by age 22, and a secondary analysis showed lower adult psychosis rates when treatment began in childhood.

A new study reports that methylphenidate (sold as Ritalin and other brands) given to children with ADHD was not linked to a higher risk of psychotic disorders in adulthood and was associated with lower rates in some analyses. Researchers followed nearly 4,000 young people diagnosed with ADHD and tracked diagnoses into early adulthood. The findings were published March 25 in JAMA Psychiatry and were reported by researchers at University College Dublin and the University of Edinburgh. The investigators noted differences in outcomes depending on whether medication began in childhood or later life. Key findings: - The study tracked nearly 4,000 young people diagnosed with ADHD. - About 69% of those individuals were prescribed methylphenidate. - By age 22, 222 people in the study had been diagnosed with psychosis. - Long-term treatment with methylphenidate in childhood was not linked to an increased risk of psychosis. - Secondary analysis showed lower adult rates of psychosis when methylphenidate was prescribed in childhood, whereas starting the drug in adolescence or adulthood did not show the same association. Summary: These results suggest that early treatment with methylphenidate is not associated with higher long-term risk of psychosis and that starting treatment in childhood was associated with lower rates in secondary analysis. Researchers said the findings address concerns that stimulant medications drive later psychotic disorders and called for age-specific research to clarify developmental differences in medication effects.