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Which boys respond to stimulant medication? A controlled trial of methylphenidate in boys with disruptive behaviour

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

E. Taylor ,
R. Schachar ,
G. Thorley ,
H. M. Wieselberg ,
B. Everitt  and
M. Rutter
E. Taylor*
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London
R. Schachar
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London
G. Thorley
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London
H. M. Wieselberg
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London
B. Everitt
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London
M. Rutter
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr E. Taylor, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.
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Synopsis

Thirty-eight boys, referred for psychiatric treatment because of serious problems of behaviour, underwent a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of methylphenidate and placebo. Methylphenidate was an effective treatment over a 3-week period. A good response to methylphenidate was predicted by higher levels of inattentive and restless behaviour, impaired performance on tests of attention, clumsiness, younger age and by the absence of symptoms of overt emotional disorder. DSM-III and ICD-9 diagnoses of ‘hyperactivity’ were not good predictors. The results support the validity of a construct of hyperactivity in describing childhood psychopathology, but emphasize the need for a refinement of diagnostic criteria.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , February 1987 , pp. 121 - 143
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

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