{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T19:22:18Z","timestamp":1791487338679,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,1]],"date-time":"2025-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756684800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,1]],"date-time":"2025-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1756684800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001636","name":"University College Cork","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001636","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int J Clin Pharm"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, which initially presents in childhood. While prescribing trends for treating ADHD have been previously examined in Ireland\u2019s paediatric population, off-label prescribing of ADHD medication has yet to be studied.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We aimed to describe ADHD medication prescribing and off-label prescribing of ADHD medication in Ireland.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This cross-sectional study used a sample drawn from the population of children and adolescents who were attending mental health services in Ireland as of 31st December 2021. Participants were included based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria; those who were aged 17\u00a0years or younger and had been prescribed at least one psychotropic medication (n\u2009=\u20093,193). We described the frequency and population of those prescribed an ADHD stimulant or non-stimulant medication and the target condition or target symptom cluster for prescription. We reported the starting and maintenance doses of each medication.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Fifty-three percentage (n\u2009=\u20091,687) of children and adolescents were prescribed an ADHD medication on 31st December 2021, with more boys being prescribed an ADHD medication compared to girls (n\u2009=\u20091,284 vs n\u2009=\u2009395). The most common age category prescribed ADHD medication was 11\u201313\u00a0years of age. The most common indication for prescribing ADHD medication was the target condition ADHD (n\u2009=\u20091,661; 98.5%).Twenty-six patients (1.5%) were prescribed ADHD medication for target symptoms, most commonly depressive (n\u2009=\u20098) and behavioural disturbance symptoms (n\u2009=\u20098) (i.e., off-label prescribing of ADHD medication).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>More than half of young people attending specialist mental-health services in Ireland were receiving an ADHD-specific medicine, and almost all prescriptions were tied to a confirmed ADHD diagnosis. Off-label use for other symptom clusters was rare (&lt;\u20092%), indicating strong adherence to licensed indications but also highlighting the importance of continued surveillance to detect emerging off-label trends and to ensure prescribing remains evidence-based and patient-centred.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s11096-025-01979-z","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,1]],"date-time":"2025-09-01T11:33:07Z","timestamp":1756726387000},"page":"424-434","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["ADHD prescribing: national findings of children and adolescents attending mental health services in Ireland"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"48","author":[{"given":"Etain","family":"Cantwell","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ivana","family":"Nelan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sharifah Zahirah","family":"Idid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Suzanne","family":"McCarthy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David O.","family":"Driscoll","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"1979_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1240","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(15)00238-X","volume":"387","author":"A Thapar","year":"2016","unstructured":"Thapar A, Cooper M. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The Lancet. 2016;387:1240\u201350.","journal-title":"The Lancet"},{"key":"1979_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"American Psychiatric Association. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [Internet]. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders (5th edition); 2022 [cited 2024 Jun 28]. Available from: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1176\/appi.books.9780890425787.","DOI":"10.1176\/appi.books.9780890425787"},{"key":"1979_CR3","unstructured":"World Health Organisation. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [Internet]. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems (11th edition); 2022 [cited 2024 Jun 28]. Available from: https:\/\/icd.who.int\/browse\/2024-01\/mms\/en#821852937."},{"key":"1979_CR4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"138","DOI":"10.5498\/wjp.v13.i5.138","volume":"13","author":"R Gomez","year":"2023","unstructured":"Gomez R, Chen W, Houghton S. Differences between DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 revisions of attention deficit\/hyperactivity disorder: A commentary on implications and opportunities. World J Psychiatry. 2023;13:138\u201343.","journal-title":"World J Psychiatry"},{"key":"1979_CR5","unstructured":"NICE. Overview | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management | Guidance | NICE [Internet]. NICE; 2018 [cited 2022 Nov 14]. Available from: https:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/guidance\/ng87."},{"key":"1979_CR6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"118","DOI":"10.1186\/s12887-015-0435-3","volume":"15","author":"F Boland","year":"2015","unstructured":"Boland F, Galvin R, Reulbach U, et al. Psychostimulant prescribing trends in a paediatric population in Ireland: a national cohort study. BMC Pediatr. 2015;15:118.","journal-title":"BMC Pediatr"},{"key":"1979_CR7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eclinm.2022.101780","volume":"58","author":"AYL Chan","year":"2023","unstructured":"Chan AYL, Ma T-T, Lau WCY, et al. Attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder medication consumption in 64 countries and regions from 2015 to 2019: a longitudinal study. EClinicalMedicine. 2023;58: 101780.","journal-title":"EClinicalMedicine"},{"key":"1979_CR8","first-page":"423","volume":"22","author":"SG Panther","year":"2017","unstructured":"Panther SG, Knotts AM, Odom-Maryon T, et al. Off-label Prescribing Trends for ADHD Medications in Very Young Children. J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2017;22:423\u20139.","journal-title":"J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther"},{"key":"1979_CR9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.1017\/ipm.2017.29","volume":"35","author":"F Honorio Neto","year":"2018","unstructured":"Honorio Neto F, Tatlow-Golden M, Mulligan A, et al. Attitudes and reported practice of paediatricians and child psychiatrists regarding the assessment and treatment of ADHD in Ireland. Ir J Psychol Med. 2018;35:181\u201391.","journal-title":"Ir J Psychol Med"},{"key":"1979_CR10","unstructured":"Maskey S. Report on the look-back review into child and adolescent mental health services county MHS area A [Internet]. Cork and Kerry Mental Health Services; 2022 Jan. Available from: https:\/\/www.hse.ie\/eng\/services\/news\/newsfeatures\/south-kerry-camhs-review\/report-on-the-look-back-review-into-camhs-area-a.pdf."},{"key":"1979_CR11","unstructured":"Halpin C, Whyte I, McCarthy S. Prescribing in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) [Internet]. Health Service Executive; 2023. 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BMJ Open. 2020;10: e035716.","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"1979_CR19","unstructured":"Recommendations | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management | Guidance | NICE [Internet]. NICE; 2018 [cited 2024 May 28]. Available from: https:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/guidance\/ng87\/chapter\/recommendations#managing-adhd."},{"key":"1979_CR20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Paediatric Formulary Committee. Methylphenidate Hydrochloride [Internet]. British National Formulary for Children; 2022 [cited 2024 Jun 28]. Available from: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.18578\/BNFC.995526496.","DOI":"10.18578\/BNFC.995526496"},{"key":"1979_CR21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"Paediatric Formulary Committee. Lisdexamfetamine [Internet]. British National Formulary for Children; 2020 [cited 2024 Jun 28]. 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J Atten Disord. 2024;28:1437\u201353.","journal-title":"J Atten Disord"}],"container-title":["International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s11096-025-01979-z.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11096-025-01979-z","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/content\/pdf\/10.1007\/s11096-025-01979-z.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,16]],"date-time":"2026-03-16T12:05:02Z","timestamp":1773662702000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/10.1007\/s11096-025-01979-z"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,1]]},"references-count":28,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]}},"alternative-id":["1979"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11096-025-01979-z","relation":{},"ISSN":["2210-7711"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2210-7711","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,1]]},"assertion":[{"value":"5 April 2025","order":1,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"11 July 2025","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"value":"1 September 2025","order":3,"name":"first_online","label":"First Online","group":{"name":"ArticleHistory","label":"Article History"}},{"order":1,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"The authors declare no competing interests.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Competing interests"}},{"value":"Ethics approval was granted by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Cork Teaching Hospital by authors to complete secondary analysis of the audit data (CREC Review Reference Number and approval\/renewal dates: ECM 4(p) 12\/09\/2023 & ECM 3(f) 05\/03\/2024). The data controller (HSE) provided permission and released data to the authors.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Ethics approval"}}]}}