Sudden Death and Use of Stimulant Medications in Youths

• Published in: The American journal of psychiatry Vol. 166; no. 9; pp. 992 - 1001
• Main Authors: Gould, Madelyn S., Walsh, B. Timothy, Munfakh, Jimmie Lou, Kleinman, Marjorie, Duan, Naihua, Olfson, Mark, Greenhill, Laurence, Cooper, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Arlington, VA American Psychiatric Association 01.09.2009
• Subjects: Accidents, Traffic - mortality; Accidents, Traffic - statistics & numerical data; Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adult; Age Distribution; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Cause of Death; Central Nervous System Stimulants - adverse effects; Central Nervous System Stimulants - therapeutic use; Child; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Children & youth; Coroners and Medical Examiners - statistics & numerical data; Death Certificates; Death, Sudden - epidemiology; Dextroamphetamine - adverse effects; Drug therapy; Fatalities; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Methamphetamine - adverse effects; Methylphenidate - adverse effects; Mortality; Neuropharmacology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Risk Factors; Stimulants; United States - epidemiology; United States; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiocirculatory arrest; CNS stimulant; Psychotropic; Sudden death

Objective: The authors sought to determine whether a significant association exists between the use of stimulants and the rare event of sudden unexplained death in children and adolescents. Method: A matched case-control design was performed. Mortality data from 1985-1996 state vital statistics were...