Psychopharmacological Treatment of ADHD in Adults Aged 50+: An Empirical Study
Abstract
Objective To study pharmacotherapy in adults aged 50+ with ADHD. Method A survey was administered to adults with ADHD (≥ 50 years old). Participants on medication for ADHD were compared with those not on medications. Results Mean age of participants was 55.8 years, and mean age when diagnosed with ADHD was 50.3 years. Ninety-five participants (63.8%) reported current psychopharmacological treatment for ADHD, 36 (24.2%) had stopped psychopharmacological treatment, and 18 (12.0%) were psychopharmacological treatment naive for ADHD. Those currently being treated psychopharmacologically for ADHD reported significantly improved attention relative to the two nonmedicated groups (p Conclusion The majority of adults aged 50+ with ADHD reported regular pharmacotherapy for ADHD. Participants currently receiving psychopharmacological treatment for ADHD reported better attention than those not receiving pharmacotherapy. Employment was associated with more favorable outcomes.
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Older adults have been reported to benefit from pharmacological treatment similarly to younger adults.
“Older adults have been reported to have similar benefits from pharmacological treatment as younger adults (Lensing et al., 2015;Manor et al., 2011)”
From Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Lensing et al., 2015
Clinical presentation of ADHD may change with age, with inattentive symptoms becoming more prevalent than hyperactivity and impulsivity.
“Clinical presentation of ADHD may change with age, with inattentive symptoms becoming more prevalent than hyperactivity and impulsivity (Lensing et al., 2015;Brod et al., 2012).”
From Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Lensing et al., 2015
Older patients and/or their medical care providers may have concerns about potential ADHD medication side effects because of older age, comorbid psychiatric and somatic disorders (in particular cardiovascular conditions), and interactions with other medications.
“Additionally, older patients and/or their medical care providers may have concerns regarding potential ADHD medication side effects due to older age, comorbid psychiatric and somatic disorders (in particular cardiovascular conditions), and interactions with other medications (Goodman et al., 2016;Lensing et al., 2015;Brod et al., 2012;Herrmann et al., 2008).”
From Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Lensing et al., 2015
Clinicians may lack awareness of the benefits of ADHD medication and of proper drug dosage in older adults.
“however, clinicians may lack awareness on the benefits and proper drug dosage in this age group (Goodman et al., 2016(Lensing et al., 2015).”
From Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as Lensing et al., 2015
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“We were unable to control adherence to pharmacological treatments in this study, which is potentially important, as nonadherence to pharmacological treatment has been found to be quite common among adults with ADHD (Pappadopulos et al., 2009).”
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Dobrosavljevic, M., Solares, C., Cortese, S., Andershed, H., & Larsson, H. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.042 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
- Authors
- Lensing, M. B., Zeiner, P., Sandvik, L., & Opjordsmoen, S.
- Affiliations
- Oslo University Hospital (NO)
- University of Oslo (NO)
- Venue
- Journal of Attention Disorders
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-03-29
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 380-389
- ISSN
- 1087-0547 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-1246
- OpenAlex
- W2043235940
- Cited by
- 18
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 1.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Attention Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Keywords
- adult ADHD, psychopharmacological treatment, ADHD medication, older adults, attention, employment, treatment outcomes, treatment discontinuation
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Attention, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Female, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Male, Middle Aged, Psychotropic Drugs, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Treatment Outcome, Patient Satisfaction
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