Abstract
The legal demands for medicines not dispensed by the Unified Health System (UHS) generate budgetary consequences concern, because resources are limited and their management must be executed according to the norms of the health policies. One of the most frequently requested drugs for the child and adolescent population diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is methylphenidate, the active ingredient in Ritalin and Concerta. In this context, the general objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between diagnosis, ADHD judicialization and possible burden on the public purse with the prescription of this drug. To achieve the proposed objective, the research involved qualitative and quantitative research. The results point to the encumbrance of the public coffers with judicialization of ADHD and the presence of false-positive diagnoses in the sample.