Treatment experiences of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

To gain insight into the treatment experiences of children and adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Convenience sampling was used to recruit eligible parents and carers at paediatric clinics of the Children's, Youth and Women's Health Service to participate in an interview to discuss experiences, using a semi-structured questionnaire.

Thirty-five interviews were conducted. Twenty-five subjects had trialled an average of 1.5 interventions prior to receiving an ADHD diagnosis, namely, dietary modifications (46%), behavioural therapy (24%), learning assistance (8%) and natural remedies (8%). Following an ADHD diagnosis, 25 subjects tried an average of 2.8 interventions, most commonly behavioural therapies (48%), expressive therapies (48%) and fish oil (36%). All subjects started psychostimulant medication after receiving an ADHD diagnosis. Despite 52% of parents expressing initial reluctance towards psychostimulants, 97% reported positive experiences with use in terms of schooling, social interaction and family life. Of those being treated with psychostimulants, 22 (73%) were concurrently using other treatments at the time of interview.

Few patients use psychostimulant medication in isolation, with the majority of parents using multiple approaches to manage their child's behaviour. Parents tried a variety of therapies before commencing psychostimulant medication, often because of fears regarding psychostimulant safety. Parents were generally happy with the results gained; however adolescents interviewed were less convinced of the benefits of psychostimulants.