Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ADHD

I read this study in 2010 about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as an approach to treat ADHD in adults. When researchers worked with patients on medication for ADHD, CBT worked better than relaxation and educational support in lessening ADHD symptoms.

That's not all! Research supporting CBT as a supplementary treatment for ADHD cropped up again in 2018, when 700 participants in the northern hemisphere and Australia worked with Favaloro University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Researchers found that participants with ADHD symptoms (and who took medication for it) who had CBT had better outcomes than those who used relaxation techniques and educational support. Additionally, CBT with medication worked better than just taking ADHD medication without the therapy.

That has been my experience as well: I believe CBT is most successfully used in conjuction with medication, in the places were medication may not offer complete relief of all bothersome symptoms.

I love and highly recommend CBT and find it very effective for many types of mental health conditions from depression, anxiety, bipolar, and psychotic types of illnesses. I am glad to hear that it shows promise with ADHD as well.

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults. Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.

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