Transitioning From Pediatric to Adult Psychiatric Care for ADHD in Sweden: A Nationwide Study.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate care transition and medication use in young adults with ADHD in Sweden.

METHOD

Observational retrospective study of patients with ADHD from the Swedish National Patient Register, Prescribed Drug Register, and Cause of Death Register (2018-2020). Last contact with pediatric psychiatric care, first contact with adult psychiatric care, and medication use were described for ages 18 to 21 years, inclusive.

RESULTS

Of 19,233 patients who had dispensed ADHD treatment, 85.8% had received adult psychiatric care by 21 years of age. The proportion of patients on medication was highest at age 18 years (80.1%), decreasing to 36.1% by age 21 years. By 21 years, there were significantly more patients on versus off ADHD medication who had received healthcare for autism, been prescribed selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, and received adult psychiatric outpatient visits (all  < .0001).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates declining ADHD medication use during the pediatric-to-adult care transition for patients in Sweden.