Treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Importance Although attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly prevalent in adolescents and often persists into adulthood, most studies about treatment were performed in children. Less is known about ADHD treatment in adolescents. Objective To review the evidence for pharmacological and psychosocial treatment of ADHD in adolescents. Evidence review The databases of CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ERIC, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for articles published between January 1, 1999, and January 31, 2016, on ADHD treatment in adolescents. Additional studies were identified by hand-searching reference lists of retrieved articles. Study quality was rated using McMaster University Effective Public Health Practice Project criteria. The evidence level for treatment recommendations was based on Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine criteria. Findings Sixteen randomized clinical trials and 1 meta-analysis, involving 2668 participants, of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments for ADHD in adolescents aged 12 years to 18 years were included. Evidence of efficacy was stronger for the extended-release methylphenidate and amphetamine class stimulant medications (level 1B based on Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine criteria) and atomoxetine than for the extended-release α2-adrenergic agonists guanfacine or clonidine (no studies). For the primary efficacy measure of total symptom score on the ADHD Rating Scale (score range, 0 [least…
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Extended-release stimulant formulations offer sustained symptom control, making them particularly beneficial for school-aged children and adolescents.
“Extended-release formulations offer sustained symptom control, making them particularly beneficial for school-aged children and adolescents [113].”
From The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2025) · cites this paper as [113]
Many adolescents discontinue ADHD treatment despite ongoing symptoms, which can negatively impact academic and social development.
“Many adolescents discontinue treatment despite ongoing symptoms, which can negatively impact academic and social development [113].”
From The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2025) · cites this paper as [113]
Behavioral therapy appears to have a greater impact on overall impairment, while medication is more effective in reducing core ADHD symptoms.
“Behavioral therapy appears to have a greater impact on overall impairment, while medication is more effective in reducing core ADHD symptoms [113].”
From The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2025) · cites this paper as [113]
Research does not indicate a strong link between stimulant medication use and future substance abuse.
“There continues to be concern about long-term use and the potential for misuse, though research does not indicate a strong link between stimulant medication use and future substance abuse [113].”
From The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2025) · cites this paper as [113]
Cites
The effect of mindfulness based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta analytic review
Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0018555 · Cited by 3,846 · see citing works
(1999) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.56.12.1073 · Cited by 3,372 · see citing works
Pliszka, S. (2007) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/chi.0b013e318054e724 · Cited by 1,765 · see citing works
Evans, S. W., Owens, J. S., & Bunford, N. (2014) · Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology · doi:10.1080/15374416.2013.850700 · Cited by 728 · see citing works
Lundahl, B., & Burke, B. L. (2009) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.20638 · Cited by 573 · see citing works
Misuse of Stimulant Medication Among College Students: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-analysis
Benson, K., Flory, K., Humphreys, K. L., & Lee, S. S. (2015) · Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10567-014-0177-z · Cited by 328 · see citing works
Nutt, D. J., Fone, K., Asherson, P., Bramble, D., Hill, P., Matthews, K., Morris, K. A., Santosh, P., Sonuga-Barke, E., Taylor, E., et al. (2007) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/0269881106073219 · Cited by 259 · see citing works
Stimulant Medication and Substance Use Outcomes
Humphreys, K. L., Eng, T., & Lee, S. S. (2013) · JAMA Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.1273 · Cited by 211 · see citing works
Langberg, J. M., Epstein, J. N., Becker, S. P., Girio-Herrera, E., & Vaughn, A. J. (2012) · School Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/02796015.2012.12087514 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Evaluation of a school-based treatment program for young adolescents with ADHD.
Evans, S. W., Langberg, J. M., Schultz, B. K., Vaughn, A., Altaye, M., Marshall, S. A., & Zoromski, A. K. (2016) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/ccp0000057 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
Effectiveness of the Challenging Horizons After-School Program for Young Adolescents With ADHD
Evans, S. W., Schultz, B. K., DeMars, C. E., & Davis, H. (2011) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2010.11.008 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Evans, S. W., Serpell, Z. N., Schultz, B. K., & Pastor, D. A. (2007) · School Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/02796015.2007.12087943 · Cited by 139 · see citing works
Two novel CBTs for adolescents with ADHD: the value of planning skills
Boyer, B. E., Geurts, H. M., Prins, P. J. M., & Van der Oord, S. (2015) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-014-0661-5 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Vidal, R., Castells, J., Richarte, V., Palomar, G., García, M., Nicolau, R., Lazaro, L., Casas, M., & Ramos-Quiroga, J. A. (2015) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2014.12.016 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Middle School–based and High School–based Interventions for Adolescents with ADHD
Evans, S. W., Langberg, J. M., Egan, T., & Molitor, S. J. (2014) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.chc.2014.05.004 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Findling, R. L., Turnbow, J., Burnside, J., Melmed, R., Civil, R., & Li, Y. (2010) · CNS Spectrums · doi:10.1017/s1092852900000353 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Maneeton, N., Woottiluk, P., Suttajit, S., Likhitsathian, S., Charnsil, C., Srisurapanont, M., & Maneeton, B. (2015) · Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment · doi:10.2147/ndt.s91765 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Catalá-López, F., Hutton, B., Núñez-Beltrán, A., Page, M. J., Ridao, M., Macías Saint-Gerons, D., Catalá, M. A., Tabarés-Seisdedos, R., & Moher, D. (2017) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0180355 · Cited by 396 · see citing works
Dong, T., Hu, W., Zhou, X., Lin, H., Lan, L., Hang, B., Lv, W., Geng, Q., & Xia, Y. (2018) · Reproductive Toxicology · doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2017.12.010 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Mayer, J. S., Hees, K., Medda, J., Grimm, O., Asherson, P., Bellina, M., Colla, M., Ibáñez, P., Koch, E., Martinez-Nicolas, A., et al. (2018) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2426-1 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Groenman, A. P., Schweren, L. J. S., Dietrich, A., & Hoekstra, P. J. (2017) · Expert Opinion on Drug Safety · doi:10.1080/14740338.2017.1301928 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Cerrillo-Urbina, A. J., García-Hermoso, A., Pardo-Guijarro, M. J., Sánchez-López, M., Santos-Gómez, J. L., & Martínez-Vizcaíno, V. (2018) · Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1089/cap.2017.0151 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Masri-zada, T., Martirosyan, S., Abdou, A., Barbar, R., Kades, S., Makki, H., Haley, G., & K Agrawal, D. (2025) · Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Disorders · doi:10.26502/jppd.2572-519x0242 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
McClure, M. M., Graff, F., Triebwasser, J., Perez-Rodriguez, M., Rosell, D. R., Koenigsberg, H., Hazlett, E. A., Siever, L. J., Harvey, P. D., & New, A. S. (2019) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.18030349 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Meyer, J., Ramklint, M., Hallerbäck, M. U., Lööf, M., & Isaksson, J. (2022) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-021-01753-2 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Lilja, M. M., Sandblom, E., Lichtenstein, P., Serlachius, E., Hellner, C., Bhagia, J., & Halldner, L. (2022) · Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders · doi:10.1186/s11689-022-09424-2 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Hogue, A., Horan Fisher, J., Dauber, S., Bobek, M., Porter, N., Henderson, C. E., & Evans, S. W. (2021) · Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology · doi:10.1080/15374416.2020.1716362 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Baby, M., Priya, V., Pallavi, J., Karthik Chand, B., Srinivasan, L., Rana, S., Tawil, S., Haque, S., Ghosh, P., Bhattacharya, P., et al. (2025) · International Journal of Women's Health · doi:10.2147/ijwh.s511297 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Chan, E., Fogler, J. M., & Hammerness, P. G.
- Affiliations
- Boston Children's Hospital (US)
- Venue
- JAMA
- Publisher
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Published
- 2016-05-10
- Volume
- 315
- Issue
- 18
- Pages
- 1997
- ISSN
- 0002-9955 (ISSN-L)
- 0098-7484
- OpenAlex
- W2391879726
- Cited by
- 261
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 10
- FWCI
- 29.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- JAMA (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, adolescents, ADHD medication, extended-release methylphenidate, atomoxetine, guanfacine, clonidine, psychosocial interventions, behavioral interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, skills training, emotional and behavioral problems, interpersonal functioning, motivation enhancement, contingency management
- MeSH terms
- Atomoxetine Hydrochloride, Adolescent, Amphetamines, Central Nervous System Stimulants, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Clonidine, Delayed-Action Preparations, Humans, Methylphenidate, Motivation, Psychotherapy, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Guanfacine, Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists, Social Skills
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
