[Evolution of stress in families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. / Evolución del estrés familiar en niños con trastorno por déficit de atención con hiperactividad.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to assess the evolution of stress in families of children and adolescents who start psychopharmacological treatment after being diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the ability to detect this change using the FSI (Family Strain Index) questionnaire. METHODOLOGY: Forty eight (48) specialists in child-adolescent psychiatry or neuropediatrics included 429 families of children diagnosed with ADHD, represented by the father, mother or guardian of the child. In the baseline visit, and at two and four months, the intensity of the symptoms of ADHD was evaluated using the abbreviated Conners scale, and family stress was evaluated using the FSI questionnaire. RESULTS: The following was observed: a) an improvement in the overall FSI score and in all its dimensions (P<.001); b) an improvement in the intensity of the symptoms of hyperactivity (Conners, P<.0001); c) good agreement between these two scales at two months (R-intraclass 0.825, P<.0001) and at four months of follow-up (R-intraclass 0.784, P<.0001). Ninety seven point nine percent (97.9%) of the children or adolescents (420) received treatment with modified-release methylphenidate. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant relationship between the positive evolution of symptoms in children with ADHD and the reduction of family stress, as evaluated by the FSI questionnaire, after starting psychopharmacological treatment. This study showed a great sensitivity to change in the clinical situation of patients with ADHD, evaluated through the stress it produces on its families. It is recommended to use this questionnaire as an indirect measurement of the repercussions of the disorder on the environment of the child with ADHD in terms of family stress.

[GEITDAH consensus on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. / Consenso del GEITDAH sobre el trastorno por deficit de atencion/hiperactividad.

In this article, the GEITDAH -the Spanish abbreviation of the Special Interest Group on Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder (ADHD)- presents a consensus reached by experts in the management of ADHD from all over Spain. The consensus concerns fundamental aspects that should be the starting point for future local or regional consensus guides. Another aim of this consensus is also to reduce the amount of variability that occurs in the health care offered to patients with ADHD in our country, as well as to act as a stimulus in educational matters. That fact that it is not very long will make it more popular among greater numbers of people and this will allow these goals to be reached more effectively. The conclusions in the consensus guide have been constructed around an introduction dealing with basic aspects and recommendations for diagnosis, treatment (both pharmacological and psychotherapeutic), patient flow and organisational aspects.