Update the Multimodal Treatment of ADHD (MTA): twenty years of lessons

Abstract

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder1 and consists in a persistent pattern of inattention and / or hyperactivity - impulsivity that interferes with the functioning or development of the person who suffers from it. Because it is a disorder that is present since childhood, the treatment of these patients should be multimodal, and it should include doctors, therapists, teachers and parents2 .

The choice of a pharmacological treatment adjusted to the specific needs of the patient optimizes the results of the intervention programs. In 1997, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) started the study of multimodal treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (MTA), and this constitutes a landmark in the history of treatment research in child psychopathology. MTA is the largest study of its kind ever undertaken. In the present article we intend to review the existing clinical evidence about the results of the MTA from the nineties to the current date.