Effects of Group Psychotherapy, Individual Counseling, Methylphenidate, and Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Importance Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with high prevalence in adulthood. There is a recognized need to assess the efficacy of psychotherapy in adult ADHD. Objective To evaluate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral group psychotherapy (GPT) compared with individual clinical management (CM) and that of methylphenidate hydrochloride compared with placebo. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective, multicenter, randomized clinical trial of 18- to 58-year-old outpatients with ADHD from 7 German study centers. Patients were recruited between January 2007 and August 2010, treatment was finalized in August 2011, and final follow-up assessmen…