Journal article
ADHD in College Students - a Guide for Clinicians and Administrators
Current psychopharmacology, v 10(1), pp 34-46
08 Feb 2021
Abstract
ADHD affects 5-6% of all college students. It is a disorder with profound comorbidities
and consequences, including increased mortality. Difficulties and damage accrue synergistically during
the college years, directly affecting academic achievement and graduation rate. It can be reasonably
extrapolated that these students may be at higher risk for sentinel events involving impulsive behavior,
intoxication and self-harm, and that current campus policies aimed at reducing access to
stimulant medication contribute to social injustice by disproportionately affecting already disadvantaged
students. After exploring the large body of observational data, specific recommendations regarding
diagnosis and treatment are made. The gold-standard for diagnosis is a comprehensive clinical
interview informed by reports from others who know the patient. While universities often demand
neuropsychological testing before offering medication, there is a broad agreement among researchers
and clinicians that this is not scientifically justified. The most effective treatments combine
pharmacotherapy with individual and group psychotherapy. Stimulants are very effective. So much
so that starting all patients on non-stimulants solely to prevent diversion is clinically inappropriate.
Rather, effective methods to limit diversion that do not limit access to care for those with the disorder
must be developed. Various psychotherapies have been assessed and have shown benefits. A CBTbased,
comprehensive, multi-modal and manualized intervention has been specifically created and
examined for use with college students. The outcome data are encouraging. By combining appropriate
diagnostics, effective pharmacotherapy, and comprehensive, multi-modal psychotherapy, administrators
and clinicians may join forces to meaningfully improve retention, academic achievement,
graduation rates, and emotional growth for this large and high-risk cohort. Colleges may need to invest
in hiring expert clinicians to deploy this care, as most do not have enough of them currently.
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Details
- Title
- ADHD in College Students - a Guide for Clinicians and Administrators
- Creators
- Aaron Winkler - Stanford UniversityBettina Bohle-Frankel - Northwestern UniversityLeigh White - Michigan State UniversityGordon Strauss - University of LouisvilleDiane Gottlieb - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Current psychopharmacology, v 10(1), pp 34-46
- Publisher
- Bentham
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- MD (Doctor of Medicine) Program
- Other Identifier
- 991021889981204721