Physician-reported treatment outcomes for ADHD among children and adolescents in Europe

Review of barriers and interventions to promote treatment engagement for pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder care

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common and impairing behavioral health disorder, impacting over 5% of children worldwide. There are multiple evidence-based pharmacological and psychosocial treatments for ADHD, and greater service utilization is associated with improved acute and long-term outcomes. However, long-term outcomes are suboptimal as multimodal treatments are often not accessed and most care ends prematurely. This narrative review discusses barriers to engagement for children and adolescents with ADHD and their families as well as interventions to overcome these barriers. Families face a variety of structural and attitudinal barriers, ranging from cost and access to stigma and low self-efficacy to successfully implement change. There are multiple interventions that may enhance engagement with ADHD care including psychoeducation, integration of behavioral services in general medical settings, telehealth as well as specific adaptations to existing ADHD treatments, such as the use of motivational interviewing or shared decision making. Integration of behavioral health into general medical settings and telehealth have been found in controlled studies to increase access by reducing both structural and attitudinal barriers. Adding motivational interviewing, shared decision making and other engagement interventions to evidence-based ADHD treatments has been found to reduce attitudinal barriers that translates into improved participation and satisfaction while enhancing outcomes. However, little is known about how to promote extended engagement with ADHD services even though a chronic care model for ADHD is recommended.

Evidence-based pharmacological treatment options for ADHD in children and adolescents

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, causing functional impairment. Its prevalence lies at approximately 5% in children and adolescents and at approximately 2.5% in adults. The disorder follows a multifactorial etiology and shows a high heritability. Patients show a high interindividual and intraindividual variability of symptoms, with executive deficits in several cognitive domains. Overall, ADHD is associated with high rates of psychiatric comorbidities, and insufficient treatment is linked to adverse long-term outcomes. Current clinical guidelines recommend an individualized multimodal treatment approach including psychoeducation, pharmacological interventions, and non-pharmacological interventions. Available medications include stimulants (methylphenidate, amphetamines) and non-stimulants (atomoxetine, guanfacine, clonidine). While available pharmacological treatment options for ADHD show relatively large effect sizes (in short-term trials) and overall good tolerability, there is still a need for improvement of current pharmacotherapeutic strategies and for the development of novel medications. This review summarizes available pharmacological treatment options for ADHD in children and adolescents, identifies current issues in research and evidence gaps, and provides an overview of ongoing efforts to develop new medications for the treatment of ADHD in children and adolescents by means of a systematic cross-sectional analysis of the clinical trials registry www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Variation in Presentation, Diagnosis, and Management of Children and Adolescents With ADHD Across European Countries

OBJECTIVE

To characterize differences in presentation, diagnosis, and management of children/adolescents with ADHD in six European countries.

METHOD

Physicians abstracted clinical records for patients aged 6 to 17 years, diagnosed from 2004 to 2007 and treated for ≥2 years. Documentation included impairment due to core ADHD symptoms and additional ADHD symptoms/behaviors at diagnosis, diagnostic approach, and treatment modality.

RESULTS

Study included 779 patients treated by 340 physicians. Prevalence of ADHD subtypes (inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, or combined) was similar across countries. Mean scores for core and noncore symptom impairment varied and were highest in Italy and the United Kingdom. Variability was noted in diagnostic approach; 95% of physicians in the Netherlands used Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition) criteria versus 10% in Germany. Differences were reported for initial treatment modality, treatment switching, and physician-reported treatment outcomes.

CONCLUSION

European countries varied in diagnostic approaches and practice management of children/adolescents with ADHD.

Organisation of services for managing ADHD

There is considerable variation in practice, both between and with different countries in the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Whilst there is no one optimal model of service organisation there are general principles of care that can be introduced to reduce this variability. There are frequent debates and discussions about which professional group is best placed to manage ADHD at different points in the life cycle. Who delivers care is however less important than ensuring that training schemes provide adequate exposure, training and experience to both the core and non-core skills required to provide a comprehensive package of care. Most evidence-based guidelines recommend a multi-modal, multi-professional and multi-agency approach. Many also promote the use of both stepped care and shared care approaches for the management of ADHD. As most of those with ADHD continue to have ADHD-related problems into adulthood, it is important to consider how best to transition care into adulthood and think about who should deliver care to adults with ADHD. Young people with ADHD should generally be transferred to adult mental health services if they continue to have significant symptoms of ADHD or other coexisting conditions that require treatment. Unfortunately services for adults with ADHD remain relatively scarce across much of the world and some adult psychiatrists remain unsure of the diagnosis and uncertain about the appropriate use of ADHD medications in adults, but there is a strong case for increased services for adults. ADHD is on the one hand easy to treat; it is much more difficult to treat well. Although optimised care for ADHD requires routine measurement of outcomes, this often does not happen in routine clinical practice. Focusing on optimising symptoms and minimising adverse effects can significantly improve both short- and long-term outcomes.

Relationship between symptom impairment and treatment outcome in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a physician perspective

We evaluated the association between those symptoms/behaviours of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that were present at diagnosis and outcomes of treatment in children and adolescents in six European countries. Physicians abstracted clinical records from patients (6-17 years) diagnosed with ADHD between 2004 and 2007 and treated for ≥2 years. Physicians scored the severity of impairment for core ADHD symptoms and additional (non-core) ADHD symptoms/behaviours at diagnosis and estimated treatment adherence (defined as an estimated >80 % adherence on weekdays and >50 % adherence on weekends). Treatment modalities included pharmacological treatment, behavioural therapy, or both. Pharmacological treatment was further subclassified by medication class. The outcome, optimal treatment success (OTS), was defined as complete symptom control with high satisfaction with treatment. Multivariate logistic regression modelling examined the relationship between OTS and symptom impairment. Of 730 patients, 200 (27 %) achieved OTS. These patients were more likely to demonstrate lower impairment in non-core ADHD symptoms/behaviours and have fewer pre-existing comorbidities. They were also more likely to be adherent and engaged with treatment, with an explicit treatment goal to improve inattention/school performance. Neither core symptoms' severity nor treatment types were associated with OTS. OTS rates were low, with patients having less impairment of non-core ADHD symptoms/behaviours and fewer comorbidities more likely to achieve OTS. Potentially modifiable factors affecting OTS were as follows: treatment adherence, treatment engagement, and a treatment goal to improve inattention/school performance. These data suggest that there may be opportunities to optimize current treatment use, and develop new treatment strategies to improve core and non-core ADHD symptoms/behaviours.