New Study Finds No Causal Link Between Adhd Medications and Psychotic Experiences in Children

A study, “Stimulant Medication Use and Risk of Psychotic Experiences,” published in the June 2025 Pediatrics reviewed a previously reported connection between the use of stimulant medication for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the development of psychotic experiences. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom re-examined a long-standing concern: Do ADHD medications like methylphenidate and amphetamines increase the risk of hallucinations and delusions in children and adolescents? Using data on more than 8,000 U.S. children followed from ages 9 to 14, the researchers identified all young people diagnosed with ADHD and investigated differences in those who were treated with stimulants compared to those who were not. The study, published May 12 online, found that, while it was true that psychotic experiences occurred more frequently in young people treated with stimulants, these experiences did not appear to be caused by the stimulants themselves. Rather, the researchers found that the factors that made it more likely that children would be prescribed stimulant medication in the first place, such as having more severe ADHD symptoms and a higher number of co-occurring mental health problems, were also factors that made psychotic experiences more likely to develop. The report found that the link between simulant medication treatment and psychotic experiences can be explained by patient characteristics, rather than by stimulants themselves. 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.