The clinical dilemma of using medications in substance-abusing adolescents and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: what does the literature tell us?

Objective: Adolescents and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance use disorders (SUD) are increasingly recognized in clinical practice. The role of pharmacological treatment for ADHD in these comorbid individuals remains unclear.

Methods: A systematic review of the medical literature was conducted through PubMed, supplemented with data from scientific presentations, to evaluate the role of medication treatment of ADHD in substance abusing individuals with ADHD.

Characteristics of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder plus substance use disorder: the role of psychiatric comorbidity.

The objective of the study was to investigate the characteristics of adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or substance use disorder (SUD), especially in the context of comorbid psychiatric disorders. Subjects were adults (n = 78) participating in a controlled family study of ADHD and SUD. Four groups were identified based on a diagnosis of ADHD or SUD: ADHD, SUD, ADHD + SUD, and neither ADHD nor SUD.

Blood pressure changes associated with medication treatment of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of medications used in the treatment of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on blood pressure and pulse.

Method: Subjects were those with DSM-III-R-/DSM-IV-diagnosed ADHD enrolled in placebo-controlled studies of 5 different medications for ADHD. Cardiovascular data from these studies of both stimulants (methylphenidate, amphetamine compounds, pemoline) and nonstimulants (bupropion, desipramine) were reanalyzed for baseline-to-endpoint active-treatment or placebo effects on blood pressure and heart rate.

Risk of substance use disorders in adolescents with bipolar disorder.

Objective: Previous work in adults and youths has suggested that juvenile onset bipolar disorder (BPD) is associated with an elevated risk of substance use disorders (SUD). Considering the public health importance of this issue, the authors now report on a controlled study of adolescents with and without BPD to evaluate the risk of SUD.

Method: Probands with DSM-IV BPD (n=57, mean age +/- SD=13.

Patterns of comorbidity and dysfunction in clinically referred preschool and school-age children with bipolar disorder.

Objective: Despite its common onset in preschool years, few studies have examined the characteristics of bipolar disorder (BPD) in preschoolers. This study reports on the clinical characteristics, psychiatric comorbidity, and functioning of preschoolers identified with BPD who were referred to a pediatric psychiatric clinic.

Methods: Structured psychiatric interviews assessing lifetime psychopathology by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (third edition, revised) criteria were completed with parents about their children and confirmed by clinical interview of the child.