• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Sunday, August 3, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Childhood methylphenidate treatment predicts antidepressant use during adolescence

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
March 27, 2019
in Health
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses among children and adolescents worldwide. The standard of care for ADHD typically includes long-term treatment with stimulants, such as methylphenidate (MPH)-based medications (e.g., Ritalin).

Over the last few decades a worldwide escalation in MPH-based medication prescriptions for treating ADHD has been reported, particularly among children and adolescents. As a result, the long-term effects of exposure to MPH have become a major public health interest, particularly given the high prevalence, long duration, and early age of MPH treatment onset.

Over the years research has shown that adherence to taking MPH-based medications as prescribed, mostly during or after the onset of puberty, prevents depression and anxiety later on. But a new, 12-year longitudinal study, which monitored 6,830 children from early childhood into adolescence, has shown that consistent treatment with MPH-based medications during childhood increases the risk of antidepressant use during adolescence.

The study, conducted by researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, together with physicians and psychiatrists from Clalit Health Services, the country’s largest healthcare organization, and the Geha Mental Health Center, is the first of its kind to examine the connection between children diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed MPH between the ages of six and eight, and future dispensed prescriptions of antidepressants. The research findings were recently published in the journal European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

The researchers sampled all children who were first prescribed with MPH-based medications between the ages of six and eight, and then recorded individual adherence by tracking how many months the medication was purchased in relation to the amount prescribed – until the age of 12. It was found that children with high adherence (above 50%) were at significantly greater risk of being prescribed with antidepressants between the ages of 12-18, after controlling for individual risk factors, such as parental use of antidepressants (OR = 1.50).

“Parents, doctors and teachers should be aware that prolonged consumption of MPH-based medications beginning at these ages can be a predictor of subsequent use of antidepressants. Our findings highlight the importance of systematic follow-up for all children who initiated MPH treatment before the age of eight and persisted in their treatment,” says Dr. Nir Madjar, of Bar-Ilan University’s Churgin School of Education, who led the study.

While greater adherence is likely associated with a greater beneficial effect on ADHD symptoms, the underlying emotional and behavioral dysregulation among symptomatic children may still be present during adolescence, as reflected by the increase in antidepressant medications, the study concluded.

###

Media Contact
Elana Oberlander
[email protected]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00787-019-01301-z

Tags: Depression/AngerEducationK-12Medicine/HealthMental HealthPediatricsStress/Anxiety
Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

Expanded Subventricular Zone Aids Postnatal Interneuron Migration

August 3, 2025
blank

Mapping Human Thalamocortical Links via Electrical Stimulation

August 3, 2025

Trans-Synaptic Spread of Tau in PSP Uncovered

August 3, 2025

Motor Interventions Improve Children’s Coordination: New Study

August 3, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Blind to the Burn

    Overlooked Dangers: Debunking Common Myths About Skin Cancer Risk in the U.S.

    60 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15
  • Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    52 shares
    Share 21 Tweet 13
  • Dr. Miriam Merad Honored with French Knighthood for Groundbreaking Contributions to Science and Medicine

    46 shares
    Share 18 Tweet 12
  • Study Reveals Beta-HPV Directly Causes Skin Cancer in Immunocompromised Individuals

    38 shares
    Share 15 Tweet 10

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Automating µFTIR for Accurate Microplastic Identification

Detecting High Liver Tumor Burden in NETs

Expanded Subventricular Zone Aids Postnatal Interneuron Migration

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.