Psychosis Induced by Methylphenidate in Children and Young Patients With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosed in children of this era. ADHD in children and adults is challenging but highly manageable. Children with ADHD cannot focus, are hyperactive, and appear withdrawn. These symptoms make them endure difficulties in learning and create academic challenges. Methylphenidate (MPH) is one of the psychostimulants used as a first-line therapy for ADHD. In this literature review, we have gathered information that describes the evidence of psychotic symptoms in children and young patients with ADHD as a side effect of MPH. We used articles from the National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and Google Scholar to gather the relevant information. Our findings concluded that MPH can increase the risk of psychosis, particularly when taken in high doses. It is still unclear whether the psychotic range of symptoms occurred due to an increased dopamine (DA) level caused by MPH or as a predominant feature of ADHD or if there was another comorbid feature in the history of the patient that led to psychosis. However, a necessary step for every medical practitioner prescribing psychostimulants is that they enlighten the patient and caregiver that this rare but threatening side effect is a possibility.