Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2009) 15: 297-305. doi: 10.1192/apt.bp.107.004879
© 2009 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Beyond ADHD and narcolepsy: psychostimulants in general psychiatry

Bradley Ng and Angela O’Brien

Bradley Ng is a consultant psychiatrist with the Gold Coast Mental Health Service, Queensland, Australia, and an assistant professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Queensland, Australia. He was a senior registrar in old age psychiatry in Auckland, New Zealand, and an honorary lecturer at the University of Auckland. His interests include consultation-liaison psychiatry and short-term psychotherapies. Angela O’Brien is a consultant psychiatrist at Waitemata District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand. She completed her basic psychiatry training at the Royal Free Hospital, London, and was a senior registrar in old age psychiatry in Auckland. Her practice focuses on both consultation-liaison and in-patient rehabilitation psychiatry for patients under the care of Mental Health Services for Older People.

Correspondence: Correspondence Bradley Ng, Older Persons Mental Health, Robina Hospital, Bayberry Lane, Robina, Queensland 4226, Australia. Email: bkwng{at}hotmail.com.

Psychostimulants (dexamphetamine, methylphenidate, modafinil) reduce fatigue, promote alertness and wakefulness, and have possible mood-enhancing properties. In modern psychiatric practice, their use has been limited to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Despite this, research has continued into psychostimulant use in general psychiatry, especially in the treatment of depression and fatigue. This article reviews the recent literature regarding psychostimulant use in general and consultation-liaison psychiatry. Although psychostimulants continue to attract clinical research, there is currently not enough evidence to recommend their routine use for general psychiatric conditions.