There is no actual cure for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but there are quite a variety of treatment options that help alleviate and control the ADHD symptoms. Following proper treatment plans, ensure that there is a significant improvement that is visible in their school or work performance, increase in self-esteem, an improvement on the relationships front. There is no single fail-proof treatment that will unanimously help all those with ADHD, and therefore is dependent on a lot of factors including the patient’s needs, medical and family history, and personal lifestyle, etc. While some individuals respond well to just medication, others need behavioral treatment, and some others need a combination of both.
The best treatment for ADHD is a multimodal approach that may include:
- Medication
Usually, ADHD patients are prescribed stimulant medications to alleviate the condition. The most commonly prescribed stimulants include – Ritalin, Dexedrine, Concerta, Metadate, Focalin, and Adderall. The patient’s reaction and response to each medicine are unique and there are some individuals who do not respond to certain stimulants at all. Although stimulants are like the first go to medicine for treating ADHD, there are indeed other medication options that are not stimulants be prescribed by a physician, and some of these include – atomoxetine, tricyclics antidepressants, and bupropion. A person being prescribed ADHD medication should be well-supervised by medical practitioners to make sure the dosage does not have any side effects and the medicines are working the way they should be.
- Behavioral treatment
ADHD requires the use of behavioral strategies and interventions to ensure that the patient is able to be influenced to calm down by the environmental factors rather than being triggered by them. A person diagnosed with ADHD can easily end up with exacerbated symptoms if they are left in a chaotic and unorganized setting, and when left in an opposite environment, they are able to control themselves and be well behaved. A lot of patients have proven to respond well when there are reward systems with consequences set in place for their behavior. When a positive behavior is rewarded, they tend to have a positive influence in inducing more positive behavior. And having a consequence aligned with negative behavior ensures that the patient tries to wry away from such impulse acts. This type of system is known as behavior modification that enables a great positive response in both children and adults. If you are an individual helping someone with ADHD, then they too have to be trained to understand the needs and methods that can effectively aid the patient to a stable state.
- Support
ADHD is not a condition that can be treated by controlling the patient alone, the people in their surrounding, including family, friends, and all associates have to be aware of the situation and take some steps towards ensuring that no erratic behavior results from a created chaos. Some of the other essential treatment models include parent training, social skills training, and counseling or psychotherapy.
