A new large review of ADHD treatments has found that medication works best for both children and adults, while cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is especially effective for adults.
This major study brings together findings from over 200 smaller reviews and confirms which treatments are supported by the strongest short-term evidence.
The research was led by scientists from Université Paris Nanterre and Institut Robert-Debré du Cerveau de l’Enfant in France, and the University of Southampton in the UK. The study was published in The BMJ and aimed to help people with ADHD and their doctors make more informed decisions about treatment.
To make the findings more accessible, the researchers created a free, easy-to-use website called the Evidence-Based Interventions for ADHD platform (ebiadhd-database.org).
This site helps users understand which treatments have the most evidence behind them. It is the first online tool of its kind to offer updated, evidence-based information in a clear format.
Professor Samuele Cortese from the University of Southampton, one of the senior authors, explained that many families feel confused by conflicting messages about ADHD treatment. This new study and website offer trustworthy, science-based guidance to help reduce that confusion.
The review showed that five medications are effective for children and teenagers, while two medications and CBT work well for adults. All these findings are based on short-term studies, meaning that we still don’t know enough about how well these treatments work over the long term, even though many people use them for years.
Other treatments, like acupuncture, mindfulness, and exercise, showed some potential. However, the evidence supporting them was weak because the studies had small sample sizes or other limitations.
The same is true for CBT in children and long-term mindfulness in adults. Still, mindfulness was the only treatment that showed strong benefits at later follow-up points.
Dr. Corentin Gosling from Paris Nanterre University, who led the study, said that long waiting times for mental health care can make it hard for people to get the right treatment. On top of that, if people try treatments that don’t work, they may lose time, money, and motivation.
He added that using the web app to look at all treatment options together with a healthcare provider can help people stick to their treatment plan and get better results.
The study supports most current treatment guidelines used around the world, but it also includes information on alternative treatments that are not usually covered in clinical advice.
The researchers hope this new project will improve ADHD care and have a similar impact to a previous tool they built for autism treatment (ebiact-database.com).
This research shows how important it is to look at all the available evidence when choosing ADHD treatments. It also highlights the need for more long-term studies. In the meantime, medication for all ages and CBT for adults are the most reliable options supported by science.
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The full study, “Benefits and harms of ADHD interventions: umbrella review and platform for shared decision making,” is now available in The BMJ.
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