Published 24 September 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a1239
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1239

Practice

Guidelines

Diagnosis and management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children, young people, and adults: summary of NICE guidance

¹ National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, Research and Training Unit, London E1 8AA , ² Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Research and Training Unit, London E1 8AA , ³ Sheffield Care Trust, Sheffield , ⁴ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, ⁵ British Psychological Society—CORE, Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University College London, London WC1E 7HB

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood condition that may affect different areas of the child’s life, seriously impairing academic achievement, peer relationships, and self care. Many affected children become socially isolated and develop conduct problems. Some 15% of children with ADHD will still have the condition in adulthood, and even more will develop a personality disorder and/or a substance misuse disorder in adulthood.^{1 2 3}

Diagnosis rates for ADHD and prescriptions of stimulant medication have risen substantially in England during the past decade, with 220 000 prescriptions for stimulants (costing about £5m (6.3m; $9.4m)) in 1998 and 418 300 (almost £13m) in 2004.⁴ The prescription of stimulants, which are potential drugs of misuse, to children remains controversial, with concerns about their safety and the potential for misuse and diversion (where the drug is passed on to others for non-prescription use).This article summarises the most recent recommendations from the National Institute . . . [Full text of this article]

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