The Controversy About The Best Treatments for ADHD

What are the best treatments for ADHD? The controversy rages on and there are advocates of ADHD meds who say that the side effects and the risks are minimal while there are other advocates of homeopathy, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, behavior modification, dietary changes and even equine therapy! There seems to be little agreement and the drug companies ware insistent that their psychostimulants are the best treatments for ADHD  and this is regarded as the first option by many doctors, parents and paediatricians. It should, in my opinion, be the last option.

Did you know that William Pelham (University of Buffalo) has been given a grant of almost $6 million to carry out a three year project to determine what indeed are the best treatments for ADHD? Basically his work (yet to be published) will determine the effectiveness of a treatment which favours ADHD medications or behavior modification techniques such as parenting skills sessions and social skills training for children. He has quoted the growing concerns about the long term effects and safety of the ADHD medications.

However, other short term studies show that behavior modification is probably best and that the effects of medication are rather short term and riskier. It also seems that the beneficial effects of ADHD drugs last no more than three years! This does not seem to be one of the best treatments for ADHD.

A very interesting experiment carried out at the Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia shows how parents' and children's perceptions of the effects of ADHD meds can differ. Not surprising in that each party is looking at it from a different angle and children are hardly mature enough to realize what they are taking. It was a small group of about 100 children who were taking these ADHD meds. About 18% of the kids reported feeling worse while most of the parents reported favourably on the ADHD drugs. The main problems for the kids were the unpleasant side effects which ranged from dizziness, loss of appetite and problems in getting to sleep. The report concluded that there was a substantial proportion of the children who viewed the ADHD drugs rather unfavourably.

Parents are now looking more and more favourably at ADHD homeopathic remedies as probably one of the best treatments for ADHD as there are no side effects and the gentler effects of these medicines are now well documented , although scorned by the medical community. But there are thousands and thousands of children who have had great relief of symptoms when they have used these cures. Let us not forget the ADHD behavioural therapy which in combination with a homeopathic remedy,is the treatment which will really help ADHD children grow up to be mature responsible adults.