How is it treated?

There is no cure for ADHD, but treatment may help control the symptoms. Treatment may include supplements, medicines, neuro-therapy, behavior therapy, social skills training, and diet changes.

Initial treatment

Successful treatment of ADHD begins with an accurate diagnosis and understanding your weaknesses and strengths. Learning about ADHD will help you better understand how to help yourself or a loved one.

Medications

When it comes to medicines stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall are often considered first line therapy. These medicines improve symptoms in about 70% of people with ADHD.

Although it may seem contradictory, stimulants usually decrease hyperactivity and impulsivity and improve focus. Some parents worry about their children becoming addicted to stimulants. Research has shown that these medicines, when taken correctly, do not cause dependence. But parents should closely supervise the use of ADHD medicines, because abuse by siblings, classmates, and adults has been reported.

Parents can also be reassured that taking stimulant medication for ADHD does not increase the risk for substance abuse later. In fact, a recent analysis that followed children and teens with ADHD for at least 4 years found less alcohol and drug abuse in those who had taken stimulant medications than in those who did not receive medication.

Other types of medicines may be used to treat ADHD.

• Atomoxetine (Strattera) is a nonstimulant medicine for ADHD.
• Some antihypertensives, designed to treat high blood pressure, can also help control aggressive and impulsive behaviors in some people.
• The antidepressant bupropion or a tricyclic antidepressant may be needed if psychostimulants do not improve symptoms.

Supplements

Omega 3 has been shown to improve focus and mood as well.  We get Omega 3 through foods such as fish (salmon) and nuts.  If you’re experiencing mood or attention problems we recommend supplementing your diet with Omega 3, which can be obtained through fish oil or flaxseed oil.

Amino acid supplements such as L-tyrosine and phenylalanine are the building blocks for the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, which play a large role in ADHD.  Neurolink is another one of our favorite supplements for ADHD, especially if accompanied by anxiety or mood problems.

Behavioral interventions

Behavioral interventions help train parents, teachers, and other adults responsible for a child with ADHD. Programs emphasize the need to establish routines and rules for behavior and to closely monitor how a child responds. The adult consistently delivers rewards or consequences depending upon how the child complies with the rules. This type of treatment has been shown to be more effective than cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques. Cognitive-based therapies depend more upon the child to self-direct behavioral changes.7 A child with ADHD is not likely to have the skills to change his or her behavior without help and guidance from adults.
Behavioral interventions most often used to help treat ADHD in a child include:

• Behavior management. Time-out and reward systems can help a child with ADHD learn appropriate behaviors for the classroom and home. Parent training in behavior management skills is conducted during a series of 6 to 12 counseling sessions of 1 to 2 hours a week.
• Social skills training. These techniques help the child learn to be less aggressive and impulsive, manage anger, and behave in a more socially acceptable way.
• Counseling, including family therapy. All household members can benefit from learning methods to deal effectively with ADHD behavior.

Behavioral intervention for adults focuses upon assistance with organizational skills and healthy relationships.

Counseling helps children and adults with ADHD recognize problem behaviors and learn ways to deal with them. For both parents and children, counseling can be a place to air frustrations and deal with stress.

Most children with ADHD qualify for educational services within the public schools. If your child qualifies, you will meet with school personnel to identify goals and establish an individualized education program (IEP). IEPs are based on the evaluation of a child's disability and his or her specific needs. This usually means your school will try to accommodate your child's extra needs, which may be as minor as placing him or her at the front of the class or as involved as providing classroom staff to assist your child.

Neurofeedback in ADHD Treatment

Neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback that can be used to train people with ADHD to change their brain wave patterns. Using an electroencephalograph to monitor the brain waves and a system of positive reinforcement, patients learn how to make their brains become more attentive. The result is that there is a significant reduction in ADHD symptoms and improvements in behavior.

How Does Neurofeedback Work?

Every normal person has five major types of brain wave patterns. Multiple patterns are present in the brain at any given time, but each area of the brain has a predominate pattern that reflects the persons current mental state. These patterns can be measured and recorded by an electroencephalogram (EEG). The EEG can be used to make a map of the person’s mental function. The five types of brain wave patterns are:

• Beta waves: These are fastest waves. When a person is attentive, his brain has a lot of beta waves.
• SMR waves: These are a subcategory of beta waves. These are the waves that occur in the sensorimotor cortex when a person is quietly focused to prepare for a physical challenge
• Alpha waves: These waves are slower. These are the brain waves of relaxation.
• Theta waves: These waves are even slower. This is the brain wave pattern that a person has when he is daydreaming or almost at the point of falling asleep.
• Delta waves: These are the slowest brain waves. These are the brain waves of deep sleep.

When a normal child tries to read or concentrate, he increases the amount of beta waves in certain parts of his brain. ADHD people don’t do this. Instead of increasing beta waves, they often increase theta waves, the daydreaming brain wave. That means that where other people are concentrating harder to complete a certain task, ADHD people are often drifting off.

This is how it works: Over a series of neurofeedback sessions, patients are gradually taught to inhibit the brains production of theta waves and increase the brains use of beta waves. A large number of people can learn to make these changes. As they learn to adjust their brain wave patterns, they show an improvement in cognition, and a reduction in ADHD symptoms and behavior. This symptomatic improvement is similar to what we see from taking stimulant medication. There is one significant difference, however.

With stimulants, the effects last a few hours. As the medicine wears off, the ADHD symptoms return. When people learn to control their brain waves using neurofeedback, the improvement in ADHD symptoms are more lasting

Common Treatments for All Types of ADHD

• Take a 100% multiple vitamin every day. Studies have reported that they help people with learning and help prevent chronic illness.
• Adults, take 2,000 – 4,000mg of high quality fish oil a day (1,000 – 2,000mg for children). 3. Eliminate caffeine from your diet. It interferes from sleep and helping the other treatments work.
• Intense aerobic exercise daily for 30-45 minutes. For kids, if you cannot find a safe exercise (no brain injuries please), take them on long, fast walks.
• Turn off the television and video games, or limit them to no more than 30 minutes a day. This may be hard for kids and teens, but it can make a huge difference.
• Food is a drug. Most people with ADD do best with a higher protein, lower simple carbohydrate diet. Barry Sears book, The Zone is a good place to start.
• In dealing with kids, employees, even spouses – NO YELLING! Many people with ADD are conflict or excitement seeking, as a means of stimulation. They can be masters at making other people mad or angry. Do not lose your tempers with them. If they get you to explode their unconscious, low energy prefrontal cortex lights up and likes it. Never let you anger be their medication. They can get addicted to it.
• Test ADD kids and adults for learning disabilities. They occur in up to 60% of people with ADD. The local schools are often set up to do this for school age children.  Our clinic also offers educational testing.  We also have a specialist in learning disorders.
• Apply for appropriate school or work accommodations.  Many of these are very helpful—if you take advantage of them.
• Never give up seeking help.