Med-start kids: pros, cons of Ritalin for preschool ADHD.The stimulant known as Ritalin displays pluses and minuses in preschoolers receiving the drug for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) A condition in which a person (usually a child) has an unusually high activity level and a short attention span. People with the disorder may act impulsively and may have learning and behavioral problems. (ADHD Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Definition Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterized by distractibility, hyperactivity, impulsive behaviors, and the inability to remain focused on tasks or ), according to the first large, long-term study of the drug's effects in such youngsters. In many cases, low doses of the medication, methylphenidate methylphenidate /meth·yl·phen·i·date/ (meth?il-fen´i-dat) a central stimulant, used in the form of the hydrochloride salt in the treatment of attention-deficit in children and narcolepsy. , safely quelled 3-to-5-year-olds' ADHD symptoms, the government-funded investigation revealed. However, preschoolers more often developed stimulant-related side effects, including irritability, insomnia, and weight loss, than older children with ADHD have in prior studies. Preschoolers with ADHD also experienced slowed growth rates during the year after starting stimulant treatment, reports a team led by psychiatrist Laurence Greenhill of the New York State Psychiatric Institute The New York State Psychiatric Institute, established in 1895, was one of the first institutions in the United States to integrate teaching, research and therapeutic approaches to the care of patients with mental illnesses. in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . By the end of the 70-week study, these children were one-half inch shorter in height and weighed 3 pounds less than expected, based on average growth data for same-age U.S. children. "Preschoolers with severe ADHD symptoms can benefit from [Ritalin], but doctors should weigh that benefit against the potential for these very young children to be more sensitive than older children are to the medication's side effects," Greenhill says. His team presents its findings in five papers published in the November Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry A branch of psychiatry that specialises in work with children, teenagers, and their families. History An important antecedent to the specialty of child psychiatry was the social recognition of childhood as a special phase of life with its own developmental stages, starting with . The researchers conducted the six-site study to address growing concerns over the safety and effectiveness of preseribing Ritalin to treat ADHD in preschoolers. Several sources of medication data have indicated that the number of prescriptions for Ritalin and other stimulants to 2- to 4-year-olds began increasing sharply around 15 years ago. However, it's unclear how many preschoolers with ADHD receive prescription stimulants. ADHD affects about 2 percent of 2- to 4-year-olds. Symptoms include an inability to concentrate on tasks, restlessness, and extreme disorganization disorganization /dis·or·gan·iza·tion/ (-or?gan-i-za´shun) the process of destruction of any organic tissue; any profound change in the tissues of an organ or structure which causes the loss of most or all of its proper characters. and forgetfulness Forgetfulness See also Carelessness. Absent-Minded Beggar, The ballad of forgetful soldiers who fought in the Boer War. [Br. Lit.: “The Absent-Minded Beg-gars” in Payton, 3] absent-minded professor . The study began with 303 preschoolers who, according to teachers, parents, and clinicians, had exhibited moderate-to-severe ADHD symptoms for at least 9 months. The children and their parents first participated in a 10-week training program designed to alter ADHD behaviors. Only the 165 children who showed no gain from the training and whose parents consented to their treatment with Ritalin then received medication. For the first week, each preschooler pre·school·er n. 1. A child who is not old enough to attend kindergarten. 2. A child who is enrolled in a preschool. Noun 1. received daily Ritalin doses ranging from 3.75 milligrams to 22.5 mg. In contrast, elementary school students with ADHD typically receive daily doses of between 15 mg and 50 mg. For the next year, preschoolers randomly received either the daily Ritalin dose that they had tolerated the best or placebo pills. ADHD symptoms declined more in children taking Ritalin than they did in those taking placebos, the researchers report. However, only 22 percent of the children receiving Ritalin and 13 percent of those receiving placebos shed most or all of their ADHD symptoms, a difference that the analysis found wasn't significant. About 1 in 10 kids dropped out of the study because of medication side effects. No instances of mania, depression, or suicidal thinking occurred among participants. The new findings emphasize the need for physicians to monitor preschoolers with ADHD who take Ritalin, remarks psychiatrist Thomas R. Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is part of the federal government of the United States and the largest research organization in the world specializing in mental illness. in Bethesda, Md. |
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