Teenagers and young adults who take amphetamine-based stimulants to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for developing psychosis, finds a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers analyzed the health-insurance records of nearly 222,000 young people, ages 13 to 25, with ADHD. Half had been given prescriptions for an amphetamine, and half had been prescribed a different stimulant, methylphenidate, between 2004 and 2015. Among those prescribed an amphetamine, 0.21 percent developed psychosis, while among those who took methylphenidate, 0.10 percent developed psychosis. The researchers say that although the overall risk for developing psychosis is very low, the results suggest caution is warranted in prescribing amphetamines to treat ADHD. (Monitor on Psychology)

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