Evidence-based guidelines for
management of attention-deficit/
hyperactivity disorder in adolescents in
transition to adult services and in
adults: recommendations from the
British Association for Psychopharmacology
D. J. Nutt Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
K. Fone University of Nottingham, Nottingham UK.
P. Asherson MRC Social Genetic Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, UK.
D. Bramble Telford & Wrekin PCT, Shrewsbury, UK.
P. Hill London, UK.
K. Matthews University of Dundee, Dundee UK.
K. A. Morris c/o Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
P. Santosh Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
E. Sonuga-Barke University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
E. Taylor Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
M. Weiss University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
S. Young Bethlem Royal Hospital, Kent, UK.
For the Consensus Group (other invited participants at the consensus meeting ‘ADHD in transition
from child to adult’ are listed in the Acknowledgements).
Abstract
Guidelines
J
Psychopharm
Journal of Psychopharmacology
21(1) (2007) 10–41
©
2007 British Association
for Psychopharmacology
ISSN 0269-8811
SAGE Publications Ltd,
London, Thousand Oaks,
CA and New Delhi
10.1177/0269881106073219
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an established
diagnosis in children, associated with a large body of evidence on the
benefits of treatment. Adolescents with ADHD are now leaving children’s
services often with no readily identifiable adult service to support them,
which presents problems as local pharmacy regulations often preclude
the prescription of stimulant drugs by general practitioners (GPs). In
addition, adults with ADHD symptoms are now starting to present to
primary care and psychiatry services requesting assessment and
treatment. For these reasons, the British Association for
Psychopharmacology (BAP) thought it timely to hold a consensus
conference to review the body of evidence on childhood ADHD and the
growing literature on ADHD in older age groups. Much of this initial
guidance on managing ADHD in adolescents in transition and in adults is
based on expert opinion derived from childhood evidence. We hope that,
by the time these guidelines are updated, much evidence will be
available to address the many directions for future research that are
detailed here.
Keywords
ADHD, hyperkinetic disorders, hyperactivity, impulsivity,
psychostimulants, psychotherapy, co-morbidities
Corresponding author: Prof. David J. Nutt, Psychopharmacology Unit, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Whitson St, Bristol BS1 3NY, UK.
Email: david.j.nutt@bristol.ac.uk