Trends in medication treatment for ADHD.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines demographic trends in the use of medications to treat ADHD in adult and pediatric populations.


METHODS
Using pharmacy claims data for a large population of commercially insured Americans, the study measures ADHD treatment prevalence and drug use from 2000 to 2005.


RESULTS
In 2005, 4.4% of children (ages 0 to 19) and 0.8% of adults (ages 20 and older) used ADHD medications. Treatment rates were higher in boys (6.1%) than in girls (2.6%), but the rates for men and women were approximately equal (0.8%). During the period of the study, treatment prevalence increased rapidly (11.8% per year) for the population as a whole. Treatment rates grew more rapidly for adults than for children, more rapidly for women than for men, and more rapidly for girls than for boys.


CONCLUSIONS
Improved identification of ADHD in adult and female patients has contributed to rapid growth in ADHD medication use.
Castle
Lon
L
Medco Health Solutions Inc., 100 Parsons Pond Drive, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417, USA. lon_castle@medco.com
Aubert
Ronald E
RE
Verbrugge
Robert R
RR
Khalid
Mona
M
Epstein
Robert S
RS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000639:trends; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D016568:Drugs, Generic