ADHD medications may reduce the risk of suicide in certain children.

ADHD drugs can reduce the risk of suicide in children with hyperactivity disorder, oppositional deficit disorder, and other behavioral disorders, according to a new study from the Lifespan Brain Institute (LiBI) at the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania. There is sex.Survey results announced today JAMA network openCan address critical knowledge gaps in child suicide risk and inform suicide prevention strategies when child suicide is on the rise.

The study leverages data collected from approximately 12,000 US children to identify viable targets for reducing child suicide, a key step in a highly necessary effort to prevent pediatric suicide. Early diagnosis and treatment of behavioral symptoms with ADHD medication may not only improve learning and behavioral problems, but also reduce the risk of suicide, especially in children with severe extrinsic symptoms. not. “

Ran Barzilay, MD, PhD, Senior Author, Assistant Professor LiBI

Child suicide rates are steadily rising. According to the CDC, suicide was the second leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 10 and 24 in 2018. In this age group. In addition, there are ethical restrictions on enrolling adolescents who may commit suicide in placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials.

“In an ideal world, we would like to test the effects of drug therapy on suicide in randomized prospective trials,” said Bargeley. “But given the challenge of conducting such studies, we, as a society and as scientists, have an obligation to use the data collected in large-scale observational studies of children to generate clinical insights. there is.”

LiBI researchers have avoided this barrier by leveraging data from adolescent brain cognitive development (ABCD) studies in collaboration with a doctor of medicine at Tel Aviv University. A sample of the ABCD study, the country’s largest long-term study of brain development and health, includes a cohort of 11,878 children aged 9 to 10 years recruited through the school system. The cohort spans 21 sites across the United States, including more than 20% of the U.S. population in this age group, and includes comprehensive data on child development, including data on mental, social, and emotional health. It is. The size and breadth of the data collected in the ABCD study allowed the team to control multiple confounding factors and specifically analyze the association between ADHD medications and suicidal tendencies.

In a secondary analysis of ABCD study data, LiBI researchers found that of the 11,878 children who participated in the study, 8.5% received ADHD medications such as methylphenidate, adderall, and clonidine, and 8.8% were past. Or discovered that he had reported his current suicide. Researchers have found that children with suicidal tendencies have more external symptoms and are more likely to take ADHD medications than children who do not commit suicidal behavior. Among the children shown, the suicide rate of children taking ADHD medications was low, suggesting a modest role for ADHD medications in these children.

To study whether this effect persisted, researchers analyzed data from participants’ one-year follow-up assessments. They found that children with strong extrinsic symptoms treated with ADHD medications at baseline were less likely to commit suicide after a year. Children who had not been treated for ADHD at baseline but had strong extrinsic symptoms were more likely to commit suicide during a one-year follow-up.

“Given the link between childhood suicidal tendencies and poor adult mental health, these findings indicate the importance of more appropriate and thorough screening of the externalization of behavioral symptoms in school-age children. “We are emphasizing,” said Bargeley. “These symptoms are treatable and early treatment is likely to prevent and alleviate serious mental health problems later in life.”