Methylphenidate and the risk of psychosis in adolescents and young adults: a population-based cohort study

Publication date: Available online 17 June 2019Source: The Lancet PsychiatryAuthor(s): Chris Hollis, Qi Chen, Zheng Chang, Patrick D Quinn, Alexander Viktorin, Paul Lichtenstein, Brian D'Onofrio, Mikael Landén, Henrik LarssonSummaryBackgroundThere is a clinical concern that prescribing methylphenidate, the most common pharmacological treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), might increase the risk of psychotic events, particularly in young people with a history of psychosis. We aimed to determine whether the risk of psychotic events increases immediately after initiation of methylphenidate treatment or, in the longer term, 1 year after treatment initiation in adolescents and young adults with and without a previously diagnosed psychotic disorder.MethodsIn this cohort study, we used population-based observational data from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, the National Patient Register, and the Total Population Register, three population-based registers containing data on all individuals in Sweden, to attain data on sex, birth, death, migration, medication use, and psychotic events for all eligible participants. We screened individuals on these registers to identify those receiving methylphenidate treatment, and who were aged 12–30 years at the start of treatment, for their inclusion in the study. We used a within-individual design to compare the incidence of psychotic events in these individuals during the 12-week periods immediately before and af...
Source: The Lancet Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research