Scientists combine a stimulant and an antipsychotic for this study

Dec 23, 2013 23:01 GMT  ·  By
The structure of the psychostimulant drug methylphenidate, used to treat ADHD
   The structure of the psychostimulant drug methylphenidate, used to treat ADHD

A combination of stimulants and antipsychotic may be exactly what is needed to curb aggressive behaviors in children suffering from physical manifestations of aggression brought on by the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), scientists with the Wexner Medical Center at the Ohio State University argue in a new study.

The efficiency of this approach can be improved even further by teaching parents of ADHD kids a series of behavior management techniques. These conclusions are based on a study of 168 children, aged 6 to 12, who were part of the Treatment of Severe Childhood Aggression (TOSCA) study, PsychCentral reports.

“Although doctors have often used stimulants and antipsychotics together in recent years, we did not have good evidence until now that they would work more effectively when carefully staged and given together,” says OSU emeritus professor of psychology Michal Aman, PhD, who is also the director of clinical trials at the university's Nisonger Center.

A paper detailing the findings has already been published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The team recognizes that their approach is based on two strong drugs instead of one, but argues that the study was prompted by the belief that aggression and ADHD are a potentially dangerous mix.