Kill two birds with one stone
The central nervous
system (CNS) stimulant, methylphenidate (MPH), has been used for attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) treatment. Pavel Golubchik and his team have found that MPH
treatment achieves not only alleviation in ADHD but also relief in subsyndromal
separation anxiety disorder (SSSA). MPH as a CNS stimulant enhances dopamine
and norepinephrine neurotransmission, so that it effectively attenuates in the
severity of the ADHD. In the study, MPH treatment was efficacious for ADHD as
well as SSSA. As a group of teenagers had received 12 weeks of MPH treatment,
the severity of the disorder’s symptoms were measured in appropriated scale
systems. As a results, severity reduction showing correlations with MPH
treatment.
The rate of ADHD has been steadily
increased that 5-7% of school-age students suffer from it. The patients with ADHD experience poor academic performance and emotional
functioning. The disorder often occurs with other psychiatric disorders and this
continues to emerge into adolescence. Moreover, it has been suggested that SSSA
is a secondary symptom to ADHD. The study mostly focused on school setting and MPH
treatment improved SSSA and ADHD conditions of school-aged children. It is noteworthy
that clinical usages of MPH would help to alleviate the two disorders at the
same time. In addition, MPH did not worsen the severity of SSSA but lessened it
with comorbid ADHD in school-aged children.
Although the
finding is exquisite, it bears some flaws. As the author pointed out, the study
has been done in a relatively small group (35 boys and 7 girls in age of 8-17
years). The participants were exposed for a short treatment duration (12 weeks),
so no long-term feedback has not been reported. MPH treatment showed a benefit
for both disorders during the 12 weeks. In spite of this, the possibilities of
long-term treatment or reoccurrence of the disorders is still unknown.
Reference
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