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Children's ADHD Telemental Health Treatment Study

Welcome to the website for the Children's ADHD Telemental Health Treatment study!

The Children’s ADHD Telemental Health Treatment Study (CATTS) is a large federally funded study that examines how well telemental health helps children with Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Seattle Children’s Hospital has been doing telemental health since 2001. Telemental health is a way to bring mental health expertise to children in underserved communities that do not have easy access to such services. Telemental health uses videoconferencing to connect families living in underserved communities with psychiatrists at major medical centers. Parents and children can talk directly to the psychiatrist over the television. Seattle Children’s Hospital has conducted over 3,000 telemental health visits with children and teens throughout the Northwest.

Study Overview:

  1. Children and their caregiver receive a comprehensive evaluation to clarify the diagnosis of ADHD and any other disorders
  2. Eligible children are randomly assigned (i.e. like a flip of a coin) to an intervention group:
    • Group A receives six sessions 3-5 weeks apart of medication treatment by a psychiatrist over a TV monitor and behavioral treatment delivered by a therapist at a local clinic.
    • Group B receives a single session by a psychiatrist over a TV monitor who then makes treatment recommendations to the primary care physician. The primary care physician then treats the child for the next 30 weeks.

    All treatment sessions are free of charge to families.

  3. Both groups participate for 30 weeks.
  4. Both groups complete research questionnaires at several points during the study and are offered a $35 incentive for each set of questions plus a bonus $35 incentive if all questionnaires are completed (a possible total of $245).

Eligible Children:

Children 5.5-12 years old already diagnosed with ADHD or who have symptoms suggestive of ADHD. (see Who is eligible for CATTS for more information on eligibility criteria.)

Location of the Study:

Telemental health clinics are located in Bellevue, Everett, Olympia, Longview, Wenatchee, Tri-Cities, WA and Boardman, OR

CATTS is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington DC. There is no funding from any drug company.