1- Médico Interno, Departamento de Psiquiatria, Benito Menni Complex Assistencial em Salut Mental, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Espanha.
2- Médico Interno, Especialidade de Psiquiatria da Infância e da Adolescência, Área da Mulher, Criança e Adolescente, Hospital Dona Estefânia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central, Lisboa.
3- Médico Interno, Departamento de Psiquiatria, Hospital Juan Ramón Jiménez, Huelva, Espanha.
4- Médico Interno, Departamento de Psiquiatria, Hospital Arnaude Vilanova, Valencia, Espanha.
5- Médico Especialista, Departamento de Psiquiatria Infanto-Juvenil Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Espanha.
- Congresso internacional: póster apresentado no 7th World Congress on ADHD
Introduction: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by impairing symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity according to the latest version of the DSM-5. ADHD has a worldwide combined prevalence of 5.29% in childhood with an approximate overall male:female ratio of 2:1. Patients with ADHD have a high incidence of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders. To the best of our knowledge, there are currently no studies elucidating the prevalence of ADHD in child psychiatric inpatients.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to understand the prevalence rates of ADHD among psychiatric acute care inpatients under eighteen years old. Other objectives include exploring ADHD treatment and comorbidities among these patients.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study based on medical records of child and adolescent patients who had been admitted in the acute inpatient psychiatry unit in Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, Barcelona, throughout September 2018 to December 2018. A total of 106 cases were included.
Results: Among the 106 patients admitted to psychiatric acute care over the study period, 14 of them had a diagnosis of ADHD (13%). The most common comorbidities in ADHD patients were oppositional defiant disorder (43%), substance use disorder (29%), autism spectrum disorder (21%) and conduct disorder (21%). Methylphenidate was the ADHD treatment most prescribed among the patients.
Conclusions: In this sample, the prevalence of ADHD is significantly higher among acute care psychiatric inpatients than in the general child population. Other studies in adult population showed similar results (Lines et al., 2018). Further investigation is needed to define the convenience of routine ADHD screening in child and adolescent psychiatric inpatients.
Keywords: ADHD, prevalence, child and adolescent psychiatry, inpatient unit