Compare And Contrast Medication And Behavioral Therapy

ADHD: Medication vs. Behavioral Therapy As a student in the school system, there are many mental conditions that could affect how they perform on a daily basis. One of the most prevalent is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This is defined as “a disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity (Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine). There is much research that is currently being done on this subject as it does impact many students in the K-12 system. As of 2011, it was estimated that around 11% of students had been diagnosed with ADHD. While seems like a small amount of students, it equates to about 6.4 million (Data & Statistics). A huge amount of children in school are having trouble focusing in

One of the points they stress is how behavioral therapy can be a solution, but it is less effective and has it’s limitations. Despite it being less reliable, there are reasons why professionals and parents decide to give it a try. One of these is that parents and professionals don’t want to give their child medication. Another is that medication isn’t enough to curb their child’s symptoms. Lastly, their child has had reactions to the medication they’ve been given previously. In addition to those reasons, behavioral therapy has it’s limitations. It isn’t able to account for every setting the child will be in. Behavioral therapy isn’t able to reduce all of the core characteristics that come with having ADHD (short-attention span, impulsivity, hyperactivity). It also isn’t able to advance at the same rate that behavioral-altering medication can (“Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit

As stated previously, medication is the most common option that parents choose for their children. The most common prescriptions are Dexedrine, Cylert, Ritalin, and Adderall. Medication is highly effective. For around 75%-90% of prescribed patients, these work to solve their issues. This is a definite advantage to taking medication is that it is almost guaranteed to work. There are drawbacks to taking medication however; the trial-and-error process, cost of medication, and the side effects that can come with medication. As with any brain chemical medication, there comes a trial-and-error process to determine the right balance and the right amount to really curb the symptoms that come with. Just like any medication that people need to operate, the cost does add up whereas with behavioral therapy, there is no medication to buy and thus no costs. Lastly, there are side effects that come with ADHD. These can be insomnia, nervousness, headaches, and weight loss. Despite all these drawbacks, medication is the fastest and most effective way to treat ADHD (“Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit