Methylphenidate treatment in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and comorbid social phobia

Pavel Golubchik*, Jonathan Sever, Abraham Weizman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the response of social phobia (SP) symptoms to methylphenidate (MPH) treatment in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Twenty-one ADHD patients with SP, aged between 8 and 18 years, received 12 weeks of MPH treatment. The severity of SP symptoms were assessed by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (LSAS-CA), and the severity of ADHD symptoms was assessed by the ADHD Rating Scale at baseline and at endpoint. MPH treatment was associated with a significant decrease in the ADHD Rating Scale scores (P<0.0001) and in the total LSAS-CA scores (P=0.013), as well as the school-related items of LSAS-CA (P=0.011). A significant correlation was found between the reductions in ADHD score and total LSAS-CA score (P=0.038), especially in school-related SP. The improvement in ADHD symptoms because of MPH treatment correlates with a parallel improvement in SP. MPH treatment appears to be safe and effective in ADHD/SP children.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)212-215
Number of pages4
JournalInternational Clinical Psychopharmacology
Volume29
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2014

Keywords

  • attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
  • children and adolescents
  • methylphenidate
  • social phobia

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