Treatment Guidelines

TEXAS 2000 – The Texas children’s medication algorithm project: report of the Texas consensus conference panel on medication treatment of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Part 1¹

The summary of this guideline provides an overview of the main points discussed and the major recommendations made. The four treatment algorithms provided in this guideline have been adapted for this website and they provide an overview of the treatment recommendations.

Abstract

This guideline and associated treatment algorithms were produced in 2000 and, consequently, they are somewhat outdated. Although the guideline is still regarded as reliable, it should be read with caution as some recommendations may not be valid today.

The guideline and treatment algorithms were developed by the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (TDMHMR) by members of the Texas ADHD consensus conference. The members comprised researchers; psychiatrists from the TDMHMR, private practice and university-related practice; and parents. During the conference, the committee developed a series of treatment algorithms by consensus from the literature on the pharmacological treatment of ADHD.

The aim of the algorithms was to decrease the variability in ADHD treatments by facilitating a systematic approach for therapeutic decision making without unnecessarily restricting treatment options.

Algorithms were developed for the treatment of patients with ADHD:

without comorbid psychiatric disorders
with comorbid depressive or anxiety disorder
with comorbid tic disorder
with comorbid intermittent explosive disorder.

Reference:
1. Pliszka SR, Greenhill LL, Crismon ML, Sedillo A, Carlson C, Conners CK, et al. The Texas children's medication algorithm project: Report of the Texas consensus conference panel on medication treatment of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Part I. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2000; 39: 908–19.

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