Does Psychosis Occur Before or After Methylphenidate Treatment?

Psychotic phenomena were rare in children receiving MPH, but occurred more frequently before they were prescribed the medication than while taking it, in a population-level analysis.

Methylphenidate (MPH) blocks dopamine reuptake, which increases dopamine availability and the consequent likelihood of psychotic phenomena. To test whether these mechanisms lead to increased psychotic occurrences in children on MPH for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), investigators culled Hong Kong registries to identify children ages 6 through 19 with MPH prescriptions.

There were 20,586 patients with at least one MPH prescription (mean age, 9.5 years). In 10 years of follow-up, the mean time on MPH was 2 years; median duration of prescription was 70 days.

Of the 103 patients who experienced psychotic phenomena (psychosis, 80; hallucinations, 20; other, 3), 78 were off medication at the time of the events. Pediatric and psych…

Reviewing Author

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Barbara Geller, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Does Psychosis Occur Before or After Methylphenidate Treatment?

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Reviewing Author