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.