Clinical effects of a controlled trial of methylphenidate on adolescents with attention deficit disorder

Abstract

Forty-eight attention deficit disorder patients, 12 to 18 years old and without previous stimulant therapy, received a double-blind trial of methylphenidate and placebo for 3 weeks each. Stimulant treatment produced mild side effects and weight reduction. Methylphenidate significantly reduced teachers' and parents' ratings of hyperactivity, inattention, and oppositionality. In addition, patients rated themselves as clinically improved and reported elevated subjective mood during stimulant therapy. Treatment benefits were comparable for patients with and without concurrent conduct or oppositional disorder as well as those with and without past or present depressive disorders. These results support the continued effectiveness of stimulant therapy for attention deficit disorder in adolescence. However, the magnitude of clinical effectiveness reported was smaller than previously found in younger patients.