Co-morbidity and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Saudi Arabia

To review the experience of a child psychiatric clinic regarding co-morbidity and treatment characteristics of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a retrospective study was done on patients under 19 years who were attending the clinic and were diagnosed with ADHD. Co-morbidity and treatment characteristics were also studied. ADHD was diagnosed in 25.5% of the patients. Of these, 28.3% had coexistent expressive language disorder and 38.7% coexistent mild mental retardation. A psychostimulant (methylphenidate) was prescribed to 23.6% while antidepressants (primarily imipramine) were prescribed to 35.9%. Behavioural therapy was the most commonly offered psychotherapy. Antidepressants were used more than psychostimulants. Psychotropics had a more beneficial effect than psychotherapy.