How is ADHD Treated?

Treatment recommendations

by Mary Fowler

Like many medical conditions, ADHD is managed, not cured. There's no "quick fix" that resolves the symptoms of the disorder. Yet a lot can be done to help. Through effective management, some of the secondary problems that often arise out of untreated ADHD may be avoided. In the majority of cases, ADHD management will be a life-long endeavor. It may be helpful to think of ADHD as a challenge that can be met. Recently, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), in combination with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), completed a long-term, multi-site study to determine which treatments had the greatest positive effect on reducing ADHD symptoms. This study is known as the MTA study (The MTA Cooperative Group, 1999). MTA stands for multi-modal treatment study of children with ADHD.

The recommended multi-modal treatment approach consists of four core interventions:

1. patient, parent, and teacher education about the disorder;
2. medication (usually from the class of drugs called stimulants);
3. behavioral therapy; and
4. other environmental supports, including an appropriate school program.

Each of these core interventions is described in more detail below. These approaches are your tool chest.

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