Cognitive Behavioral Therapy As A Sole Treatment For Adhd

ADHD is one of the most conventional behavior disorder that typically manifest itself in childhood (Carson, 2012), and can cause a multitude complications among a variety of settings such as social and school settings. Inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity are common symptoms for patients who suffer from ADHD. Children with ADHD can be very disorderly in classroom settings, and boys are ten times more likely than girls to receive a diagnosis in childhood, while in adulthood, the ratio is practically 2:1 (Carson, 2012). The most common treatment for ADHD is methlyphenidate, or Ritalin, a dopamine agonist/ norepinephrine agonist that inhibits reuptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine and norpinephrine. Methlyphenidate increases dopamine in the dorsal striatum, and both dopamine and norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex. Notwithstanding, the fact that MPH is a dopamine agonist suggest that this disorder may be

There are various resources that parents and caregivers can access to get informed about ADHD. ADHD can have an impact on a child’s life. The National Health Institute reported that 3 – 5 % of children in the United States were diagnosed with ADHD, this is approximately two million children (Mall & Holland, 2013). According to (Schwarz & Cohen, n.d), mild symptoms of ADHD have been diagnosed. The rise of ADHD diagnosed over the past several years has caused increasing concerns among many doctors that ADHD diagnosis and medication are being overused. Parents and caregivers are also concerned about the increase in ADHD

Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) crosses gender, cultural, and socioeconomic lines, but it does not render adolescents from participating or excelling in the academic process. ADHD disorder has been defined as a neurobiological development disorder of impaired executive functions that significantly affects self-control, behavior, cognition, and learning. (Anthony L. Rostain & J. Russell Ramsay, 2005) According to a study conducted by the American

Being able to find answers, and enlightening material without searching through a plethora of biased data can relieve concerns as well as offer hope. The Mayo Clinic’s website is inviting to those who come looking to research ADHD. The website’s format is open and easily understandable. The sub-categories are listed on the left side of the webpage. They include the most common topics including symptoms, treatments, complications, and most important a comprehensible definition. There is an abundance of statistical information on alternative medication that is not usually found when researching Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. “But ADHD medication is seldom all that's needed to control oppositional behavior”(Flippin, 2015). The website also has a limited amount purchasable advertisements. The information listed fit into each subcategory

The question of the validity of the use of stimulants for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly connected to the question of attempting to balance the effectiveness of the drugs and the dangers inherent in their use. ADHD is a problematic mental and behavioral disorder especially among children and it is very important that we as a society find an effective method to treat it with the least amount of adverse effects to patients. It is a very good question to ask if a treatment is worth the risks and this definitely the case with the use of stimulants for treating ADHD. The use of stimulants has been rightly controversial and their negatives are very hard to ignore. Keeping this is in mind, it is still much better to prescribe stimulants for the treatment of ADHD. There is overwhelming evidence that which points to the fact that despite the prevalence of opinion against it doctors and parents should, in fact, have no problem prescribing amphetamines to children for the treatment of ADHD. This paper will argue that despite a lot of adverse effects and negative press which the use of stimulants has gotten as the primary method for the treatment of ADHD it is, in fact, one of the best and most effective ways which we have to treat it.

ADHD is not a curable condition but it is treatable, and treatment can begin at any age. The use of medication is the most common form of treatment. Stimulants are the best-known treatments and have been used for over 50 years (KidsHealth, n.d.). Non-stimulants and antidepressants are good alternatives to the use of stimulants. Research has shown medications used to help curb impulsive behavior and attention difficulties are more effective when combined with behavioral therapy (KidsHealth, n.d.). Behavior therapy provides for the development of strategies that assist in creating living routines, limiting distractions, limiting choices and getting organized all of which helps reduce the symptoms of ADHD (KidsHealth, n.d.). Other treatments including megavitamins, special diets, visual training and one on one psychotherapy have been tried. However, scientific research has not found these treatments to be effective (KidsHealth, n.d.).

Since the early 1990’s the use of stimulant medications had tripled for patients who have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD is a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the regulation of a particular set of brain functions and related behaviors (add.org, 2017). According to several sources on the World Wide Web, the increase in ADHD diagnoses has increased significantly. Identifying the trends with parents, teacher and providers is now more important than ever. There could be a possibility of over medicating children who may or may not have this disorder. It may not be beneficial to prescribe children this powerful stimulant as their brains are still in developing stages in

“Every child’s needs are specific, and even if they share the same diagnosis as another student, that’s surely no guarantee that they will learn or relate in the same way.” (5, para. 21) In order for ADHD treatment to be effective, it must include a combination of counseling – individual or family- education, and behavioral therapy (2). A treatment plan that combines behavior management exercises and medications are the most effective interventions for ADHD children, adolescence, and teenagers, but they should always begin the treatment with behavior interventions – not medication (2;4).

The numbers can be mind-blowing! Ever since Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been surveyed on a national level the numbers of affected persons diagnosed with the disorder has continued to climb. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) ADHD was first surveyed, using input from parents and providers, in 1997. Not only have numbers of diagnosed patients and population percentage with the disorder shown an upward trend in growth, so have the number of available prescription medications used to treat the disorder. There is no doubt that there are other means of treating ADHD and many parents and providers may decide an anti-medication approach by utilizing improving behavioral/cognitive therapy practices and techniques. Still though, it seems that it is assumed that medication is the most popular and effective treatment method used to treat and/or maintain the symptoms of the disorder.

children between the ages of 5 and 17 now have the ADHD diagnosis” (Berry). The fact of the matter is that ADD is becoming very prevalent in today’s society; seen by the sheer amount of children with the disorder as well as the rising number of diagnoses. Many people are prescribed medications to help lessen the effects of ADD. This is exhibited as “treatment with Ritalin--the most popular drug used to treat ADHD--and its chemical cousins have skyrocketed. Production of these drugs has increased more than fourfold in the last decade, from 11,000 pounds in 1993 to 46,000 pounds in 2002, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration” (Attention 24). The substantial growth of the amount of Ritalin produced shows increased demand that stemmed from rising ADD rates. The significant increase in the amount of people diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder is largely due to growing awareness of the condition, overdiagnosis by medical practitioners, and increased societal and educational demands.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, better known by its acronym as ADHD, is one of the “hot topics” constantly being discussed in today’s psychological field. Interestingly, the debate is on whether or not ADHD is a real mental disorder. The community is divided into two distinct groups. One group believes that ADHD is a real mental disorder and should be treated as such. Others, however, believe that ADHD isn’t a disorder at all, rather it is a ploy driven by the pharmaceutical companies in order to increase sales of stimulants such as Ritalin. Within this group there are also people who believe that ADHD itself is not a disorder, however, it is part of a larger malady, or a result of poor parenting or a sugar-rich diet.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most researched psychiatric disease, but it is a disease we cannot confidently explain what the true cause is. “In children, ADHD has become the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric condition worldwide.” (Bailey,1) According to a news report prepared by USA Today over the past five years, the use of ADHD medications have increased 40% totaling 39.5 million individual prescriptions ("New findings," 2009). That goes to show a huge increase in prescriptions and the disease being diagnosed. Many people argue that ADHD is part of normal childhood and that the disease is fictional. While the question regarding the validity of ADHD is surrounded by controversy, scientific and

Everyone has an opinion about the role of medication in treating ADHD symptoms which leads to this controversy. The results from the Multimodal Treatment Study (MTA) show that medication was the single most effective treatment (Peacock, 2002) . For more than 40 years, stimulant medication has been prescribed for ADHD. There is a lot of research showing that they are safe, effective and reduces the symptoms of ADHD while they are being taken (Dudley, 2005). On the other hand, results from the study also suggested that a combination of psychological and behavioral counseling with medication is the most effective overall treatment (Dudley, 2005). Although the study suggest the use of a combination of treatments, stimulant medication should be the first line of treatment based on effectiveness. In the past, ADHD treatment has typically focused on medications. The specific class of medication most commonly prescribed for ADHD is stimulants (Martin). Stimulant medication is the best and safest way to control ADHD symptoms. Eighty percent (80%) of children respond well to one of these medications ("ADHD Children and Medication", n.d.). Stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall are commonly prescribed, well-tolerated, act quickly and in most children, have few side effects

It is understandable for parents to be concern about their children which is diagnosed with ADHD, including the treatments. Parents have to remember that even ADHD can’t be cured, but it can be successfully managed. There are a lot of types of treatment options, so both parents and doctors should work closely with everyone involved in the child’s treatment. Medications is one of the treatment that can help a child with ADHD in their daily life. There are two types of medication may be used to treat ADHD, stimulants and non-stimulants. Stimulants are the best-known and most widely used treatments while the non-stimulants were approved for treating ADHD in 2003. Medications can affect children differently, where one child may respond well to

Roger Yeager PHD states “Parenting challenging kids requires that you become a chef, not just rely on a cookbook recipe” (Miller). Approximately 9.5% or 5.4 million children 4-17 years of age have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, as of 2007. As of 2007, 2.7 million youth ages 4-17 years (66.3% of those with a current diagnosis) were receiving medication treatment for the disorder (cdc.gov). The Surgen General lists ADHD, as the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of childhood. With numbers as these it seems imperative to know what works best for over 2.7 million children in treatment. Cognitive refers to our thinking, Behavior how we behave the two go together. The way we think and feel effects behavior and the other way around.