The prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is difficult to evaluate, and the diagnosis is based primarily on clinical criteria. In 2008, a French study estimated the prevalence to be between 3.5% and 5.6%, but the study's design was questionable.
Treatment of this disorder consists first and foremost in educational, social, and psychotherapeutic management. Only if such treatment fails is methylphenidate (MPH), the only drug that has been approved in France for this indication, to be considered, according to the recommendations.
The drug's short-term efficacy has been proven, but it has not shown any effect on the long-term risks for academic failure, delinquency, and drug addiction associated with ADHD. In contrast, its adverse effects are numerous. Cases of nervousness, sleep disorders, headaches, weight loss, risk for aggravation of psychiatric conditions, and progression to violent or suicidal behavior have all been documented extensively, as well as cases of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Moreover, MPH is classified as a narcotic.
Inappropriate Prescribing Conditions
A study that appeared in the French journal of neuropsychiatry in minors, Neuropsychiatrie de l'Enfance et de l'Adolescence,investigated the prescribing procedures for this drug in France. Researchers examined Social Security data for 144,509 patients between the ages of 0 and 17 years who had received at least one prescription between 2010 and 2019.
