[ADHD-medication and psychosis; case report and literature review].

Abstract

The treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) largely involves the pharmacological restoration of dopaminergic hypoactivity in the brain, specifically in the prefrontal cortex. A disruption in dopaminergic neurotransmission is also seen in schizophrenia and psychosis, where there is a hyperactivity of this neurotransmitter. In our case study, a man with ADHD developed psychosis during treatment with stimulants. We investigate whether stimulants have a risk-modulating effect on the development of psychosis in adults and searched the databases PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. We included five systematic reviews, which indicate that the incidence of psychosis during stimulant treatment for ADHD is approximately 0.1-1.2%. However, it remains unclear whether therapeutic doses of stimulants increase the risk of developing psychosis. There is also insufficient evidence to justify discontinuing stimulant treatment for an extended period following the onset of psychosis.