Children with ADHD miss out on treatment due to parents’ denial

NEARLY half a million children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) may not be getting the medication they need partly because parents are reluctant to accept they have a behavioural condition, experts said.

A study led by Oxford University found that while five per cent of UK children suffer from the disorder, only one in 10 of these are being given drugs to control it.

Experts who took part in the biggest study yet comparing medical treatments for ADHD warned that many British children with the condition were falling below the diagnostic radar and not getting the help they need.

They said the lag may also be due to unfounded fears among the public that medicating children with methylphenidate, known as Ritalin, acts as a “chemical cosh”.

ADHD is a brain disorder characterised by hyperactivity, impulsivity and an inability to maintain attention. It affects both children and an estimated 2.5 per cent of adults worldwide and can seriously impair quality of life.

Contrary to popular belief, the cause of the condition is under-activity rather than excess activity of certain parts of the brain. All drugs prescribed for ADHD, which include amphetamines, are stimulants, not sedatives.

David Coghill, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, who took part in the study, said: “I think we have quite strong evidence to suggest that – in the UK and many countries outside the US – ADHD is under recognised and under diagnosed, and if you don’t recognise and diagnose someone you don’t have the option of what treatment they receive.”

Published in the Lancet Psychiatry, the study conducted by a large team of international experts reviewed data from 133 trials around the world looking at the effectiveness and tolerability of ADHD drugs. Around 24,000 patients took part, including 14,000 children.

After sifting through data, including unpublished results that took four years to collect, the authors concluded Ritalin remained the best medical option for children with ADHD.

In the case of adults, amphetamines turned out to be the most effective treatment that was acceptable to patients.

Ritalin is already recommended as a first line treatment for children with ADHD by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which vets the cost effectiveness of treatments in England and Wales.