Medication versus Alternative Therapy in ADHD

964 Words2 Pages

Medication versus Alternative therapy in ADHD

When dealing with adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD may become a challenge for many parents. Knowing the facts about this disorder and how to treat the problem is the key to a healthy lifestyle for adolescents as well as families. Many therapies and medications are available to families with children with ADHD but many questions that parents have with their children with ADHD is which therapy is best and what would work best with their children and their quality of life. The question of which therapy, alternative versus medication therapy would improve adolescent’s quality of life and behavior modification.
One of the biggest concerns when dealing with ADHD is the cost of treatment. A recent study conducted by the centers of disease control estimated if improvements were made in the health promotion of individuals then the financial savings could reduce the cost by 31.6 billion dollars (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. 2013).
The impact of ADHD has been noted to have an effect on an individuals social, educational, and health status. Understanding the nature of ADHD and the effect it has on other family members is also imperative. ADHD can increase family conflict and stress as well as limit family activities such as work and community life (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. 2013).
One of the main treatments for ADHD is the use of medication. Primarily the main medication used is stimulants such as amphetamines. Amphetamines have been used in this treatment due to its effects of reducing the symptoms of ADHD such as behavior and irritability (Hodgkins, Shaw, McCarthy, Sallee, 2012). A major concern though with the use of amphetamines is...

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...rtz-dorten, A., Breuer, D., Hautmann, C., Rothenberger, A., & Döpfner, M. (2011). What contributes to patient and parent satisfaction with medication in the treatment of children with ADHD? A report on the development of a new rating scale. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 20, 297-307. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00787-011-0207-z
Hodgkins, P., Shaw, M., McCarthy, S., & Sallee, F. R. (2012). The pharmacology and clinical outcomes of amphetamines to treat ADHD. CNS Drugs, 26(3), 245-68. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2165/11599630-000000000-00000
Sarris, J., Kean, J., Schweitzer, I., & Lake, J. (2011). Complementary medicines (herbal and nutritional products) in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A systematic review of the evidence. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 19(4), 216-27. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2011.06.007

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