To the Editor: We read with interest Rey’s interpretation of the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (MTA).1 The MTA was a large randomised study comparing the impact of stimulant medication, behavioural treatment, a combination of the two, and standard community care on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).2 The treatment phase lasted 14 months, during which the children taking medication showed more improvement than the other groups. Participants were then allowed to change their treatment and, at 36-month follow-up, the outcomes in all groups were similar. Rey concluded that, if stimulant medication is not associated with sustained improvement, its place in the treatment of ADHD is limited.
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- Nepean Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
- 1. Rey JM. In the long run, skills are as good as pills for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [editorial]. Med J Aust 2008; 188: 133-132. <MJA full text>
- 2. Jensen PS, Arnold LE, Swanson JM, et al. 3-year follow-up of the NIMH MTA study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2007; 46: 989-1002.