Treatments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The treatment of ADHD often requires several interventions in your child’s many environments in order to improve his ability to function. Guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other organizations encourage doctors to work as a team with family and school or job personnel. Together you can set realistic treatment and performance goals and evaluate your child’s response in every area of activity.

Properly selected and attentively administered medications have generated life-changing results in children with ADHD. However, there are many issues to consider when you initiate drug treatment including the difficulty of diagnosing accurately, the ability and willingness to adhere to a strict treatment and medication regimen, the addicting potential of some of the medications. While medications are usually beneficial and well tolerated, there is the potential that important behavioral and lifestyle interventions are not utilized in combination with or in place of medications.

Typical treatment involves the following:

Lifestyle changes Medications Alternative and complementary therapies

At this time, there are no surgical procedures for treating ADHD.

References

ADHD. American Academy of Pediatrics website. Available at: http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/adhd.cfm . Accessed November 22, 2009.

ADHD: a guide for families. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry website. Available at: http://www.aacap.org/cs/adhd%5Fa%5Fguide%5Ffor%5Ffamilies/resources%5Ffor%5Ffamilies%5Fadhd%5Fa%5Fguide%5Ffor%5Ffamilies . Accessed November 22, 2009.

AD/HD and kids. Mental Health America website. Available at: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/information/get-info/ad/hd/ad/hd-and-kids/ad/hd-and-kids . Accessed November 22, 2009.

American Academy of Pediatrics website. Available at: http://www.aap.org/ .

Attention Deficit Disorder Association. Available at: http://www.add.org . Accessed April 1, 2007.

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder website. Available at: http://www.chadd.org . Accessed April 1, 2007.

Children and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. American Psychiatric Association website. Available at: http://www.healthyminds.org/adhdfacts.cfm . Accessed April 1, 2007.

Mikami AY, Cox DJ, Davis MT, Wilson HK, Merkel RL, Burket R. Sex differences in effectiveness of extended-release stimulant medication among adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Clin Psychol Med Settings . 2009;16(3):233-242. Epub 2009 May 6.

Stern T, Rosenbaum J, Fava M, Biederman J, Rauch S. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby Elsevier; 2008.

Revision Information

Reviewer: Michael Woods, MD
Review Date: 09/2012
Update Date: 00/91/2012

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.