Originalarbeiten / Original Articles. 12 Jahre nach Behandlungsbeginn – Ergebnisse einer deskriptiven Katamnese psychoanalytischer und verhaltenstherapeutisch-medikamentöser Behandlungen von Kindern mit ADHS / A 12-year follow-up – Results of a Descriptive Catamnesis Study of Psychoanalytic and Behavioral-Medication Treatments for Children with ADHD

A 12-year follow-up - Results of a Descriptive Catamnesis Study of Psychoanalytic and Behavioral-Medication Treatments for Children with ADHD According to the guidelines, behavioral therapy with medication (BT/M) is the preferred treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD. With the Frankfurt ADHD Effectiveness Study, a controlled, prospective intervention study without randomization, we are investigating whether psychoanalytic treatment without medication (PSA) for children with a diagnosis of ADHD and/or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is as effective as the "standard treatment" BT/M and has longer-term effects. The aim is to provide a description of the sample analyzed 12 years after the start of treatment. Of 54 study children with a diagnosis of ADHD and/or ODD who last participated in the 38-month catamnesis (31 PSA, 23 BT/M; 10 female, 44 male; average age 8 years), 19 were reached and examined again at the 12-year catamnesis (10 PSA and 9 BT/M; 6 female, 13 male; average age 19 years). The research diagnostics comprised the questionnaires of the Diagnostic System for Mental Disorders for children and adolescents (DISYPS-III), the questionnaire for adolescents of the Child Behavior Checklist (YSR/ 11-18R) and the questionnaire for the assessment of quality of life in adolescents (ILK). 12 years after baseline, of 19 young adults, only 5 fulfill the diagnostic criteria in the self-report (DISYPS-III, diagnosis ADHD: 0 PSA, 1 BT/M; diagnosis ODD: 1 PSA, 3 BT/M) and 1 of 19 young adults shows external problems (YSR/11-18R: 0 PSA, 1 BT/M). Residual impairments were observed in the internal problems (YSR/11-18R: 2 PSA, 6 BT/M). Despite the small sample size, the descriptive results suggest that young adults who received psychoanalytic treatment without medication in childhood do not perform worse than young adults in the BT/M arm even 12 years after starting treatment.