Stimulant medication and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. The child's perspective
J. Bowen, T. Fenton and L. Rappaport
Division of Ambulatory Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass 02115.
Fifty-eight children receiving stimulant medication for attention
deficit-hyperactivity disorder at referral clinics for learning
disabilities at two teaching hospitals in Massachusetts were invited to
participate in a study of their knowledge and attitudes. The 45 respondents
and parents completed separate questionnaires concerning how they felt
about receiving stimulant medication. Eighty-nine percent of the children
felt that the medication was helpful and 78% liked or were indifferent to
it despite a high rate (85%) of reported side effects. The five children
(11%) who responded that they would stop taking stimulant medication if
they could were more likely to perceive the medication as unhelpful and
were receiving standard methylphenidate hydrochloride rather than a
long-acting preparation. We conclude that children's perspectives on
medication should be elicited directly and sustained-release medication may
be more acceptable to children with attention deficit-hyperactivity
disorder.