Minorities more likely to go off ADHD meds

Black and Hispanic children on Medicaid are more likely to go off their medications for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to discontinue treatment entirely than their white counterparts, according to a study by Rollins researchers. Medicaid is the largest insurer of children in the U.S.

The study found high rates of medication discontinuation and treatment dropout for all youth in the study, but they were even higher for minority children. More than seven-tenths of youth who discontinued medication did not receive any type of psychotherapy services for ADHD—including behavioral therapy. Because so few of those who discontinued medication received any other services, the higher rates of medication discontinuation among minority youth translated into significantly higher rates of stopping treatment.

"If parents decide that they don't want their child to take medication for ADHD, it's crucial for health care providers and health care systems to make every effort to connect these families to therapy services," says Janet Cummings, associate professor of health policy and management and lead author of the study. "One of the key challenges is that many communities have shortages of mental health specialists who accept Medicaid. It is critical for policymakers to invest in expanding the availability of psychotherapy services in settings more accessible to these families—such as federally qualified health centers and school-based health clinics."