APSARD 2026: Emerging Data Challenge Long-Held Concerns About ADHD Treatment

“APSARD is an interesting medium that integrates both science and clinical practice,” Timothy Wilens, MD, told Psychiatric Times during the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) 2026 Annual Conference. Wilens, chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, added that the meeting is increasingly shaping how clinicians approach complex patient populations.

Wilens noted that APSARD continues to bring important discussions that bridge research and real-world clinical practice. An example of such, he said, was the plenary on ADHD diagnosis and treatment in women of childbearing age, including pregnancy and the postpartum period¹. Experts in the session reviewed large observational registry studies and clinical experience related to medication exposure. Historically, uncertainty around risk led many clinicians to discontinue treatment altogether. “Many people were very concerned about diagnosing and uncertainly in treating ADHD in women,” Wilens said. As a result, many women were not receiving treatment for ADHD.

Emerging data presented at the meeting can make a meaningful shift and impact on patient outcomes, Wilens said. “The data shows there may be some negligible risks of using medications during pregnancy and immediately postpartum in terms of the impact on babies,” he explained. In contrast, “the risks of not treating ADHD and functional impairments and difficulties you have far exceed any of the more theoretical risks of what medication may do.”

This evolving evidence base has led to more nuanced clinical approaches, including dose adjustments rather than discontinuation. “If people are on stimulants, maybe reduce the dose a little bit, but definitely treat people,” Wilens said. He also noted that during breastfeeding, “you can continue the medications, both stimulants and non-stimulants,” which in turn can contribute to better treatment and better outcomes.

Wilens also addressed growing concerns around telehealth diagnosis and stimulant prescribing. He discussed recently published data examining outcomes among patients treated exclusively via telehealth. The findings showed that telehealth prescribing “was no different in terms of outcomes for substance use disorders or what we call in-class stimulant use disorders.” Addressing the age old question of “Do stimulants increase risk for methamphetamine and cocaine?”, Wilen said a 2-year electronic health record study involving 7500 individuals demonstrated the answer is no.

A symposium featuring the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) provided additional regulatory context.² Wilens noted that the agency’s concerns center on public health and prescribing patterns that fall outside established guidelines. He expressed optimism that continued collaboration could align perspectives. “Our hope is that DEA and organizations like APSARD and American Academy of Child Psychiatry…can start working together to help clinicians understand what best practices are,” he said.

References

1. Baker A, Bang-Madsen K. Plenary: ADHD and Pregnancy. Presented at the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) 2026 Annual Conference; January 15-18, 2026; San Diego, CA.

2.Laughery K, Mattingly G, Wilens T. Plenary: ADHD, Telehealth, and Stimulant Safety: A Conversation with the DEA. Presented at the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD) 2026 Annual Conference; January 15-18, 2026; San Diego, CA.