Stimulant Medication Use and Risk of Psychotic Experiences

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/online-first?autologincheck=redirected&utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_y2WnpXIYv9XzC3wKEhM8eJaXYose2v_6TmwxpN-6d3E3VNDTDsZzjwDXUhcosgC7SkjQbJAC-qzL_09Po6x899JQFFA&_hsmi=360962223&utm_content=360962223&utm_source=hs_email Correlation ≠ causation (stimulants for ADHD version) As diagnoses of ADHD and prescriptions for drugs like Ritalin to treat it have both increased over the decades, there’s been a concern growing alongside those trends: that stimulants could increase someone’s risk for psychotic experiences like hallucinations. While some observational research has lent credence to that idea, a study published today in Pediatrics found no causal relationship between stimulants and psychosis among young people with ADHD. A prescription for stimulants was, indeed, a predictor for a psychotic experience. But a previous experience with psychosis was also a predictor for stimulant prescription, the researchers found. The analysis, based on data from more than 8,300 youths ages 9 to 14, suggests that characteristics like more intense ADHD symptoms or other mental health symptoms may be driving the association. “We know that many children with ADHD can benefit from medication treatment,” lead author Ian Kelleher wrote in an email. “The results of our study are reassuring for young people and their families that routine ADHD medication treatment is unlikely to cause psychotic experiences.” The results also come at a time when more and more experts are questioning the way we think about defining, diagnosing, and treating the disorder. “I’ve invested 35 years of my life trying to identify the causes of ADHD, and somehow we seem to be farther away from our goal than we were when we started,” researcher James Swanson told New York Times Magazine last month in a long but compelling feature on the state of ADHD science and treatment. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/magazine/adhd-medication-treatment-research.html?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_fU5YoalQ5LNc9G5TU_jz0nTx95Hql7i0ffIynVBsAdwY6dfwF1Q6DJXZtv0ilCNsvYpPPSnH3f6hl_BbbqR44Q-QSlg&_hsmi=360962223&utm_content=360962223&utm_source=hs_email