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Patients diagnosed with ADHD during childhood still have the disorder in their adulthood anywhere from 15-80% of the time. This fact clearly illustrates that ADHD, as a mental disorder, not only exists but also can persist over time to cause continued negative effects on those who have it. There are many treatment options for ADHD, and none of them state that medication alone is the solution to the disorder. The overmedication that occurs stems from the western idea of a “quick fix” allowing parents to control the symptoms of ADHD without actually dealing with the disorder itself. The Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention Deficit Disorder (MTA) executed a study that assessed the different treatments for ADHD and their effectiveness. The study concluded that over time the best solution to treating ADHD was to combine medication with behavior therapy. Additionally, the study showed that over time, when the two therapies are combined, the dose of the medication could be lowered for the child without any negative consequences.
ADHD is a real disorder that affects many people around the world. Although there is concern that it is often misdiagnosed and overmedicated, this should not be the case. Each therapist should make sure that the patient in question has the right symptoms for the recognized period of time before they can accurately diagnose the disorder. The types of medications that are administered to ADHD patients are stimulants which help them decrease their distractibility and allow them to function better in school as well as socially. With the number of steps that need to be taken before ADHD can be accurately diagnosed the possibility of a wrongful diagnosis is significantly reduced. ADHD would be best treated with a two-fold approach; behavioral therapy and needed medication. Behavior therapy typically requires extensive time, effort and diligence on the part of the parent. Other solutions that are less effective immediately are Psychotherapy and Social skills training. Each of these forms of therapy help the child learn why they have the symptoms that they do, and how to best solve the issues they are having through learning new behaviors. The issue of overmedication could be attributed to the possibility of parents compensating the behavior therapy aspect of the treatment with additional medication In conclusion, ADHD is not misdiagnosed or over medicated, it is a disorder that exists and needs to be carefully treated through both behavior therapy and appropriate medication.
ADHD is a real disorder that affects many people around the world. Although there is concern that it is often misdiagnosed and overmedicated, this should not be the case. Each therapist should make sure that the patient in question has the right symptoms for the recognized period of time before they can accurately diagnose the disorder. The types of medications that are administered to ADHD patients are stimulants which help them decrease their distractibility and allow them to function better in school as well as socially. With the number of steps that need to be taken before ADHD can be accurately diagnosed the possibility of a wrongful diagnosis is significantly reduced. ADHD would be best treated with a two-fold approach; behavioral therapy and needed medication. Behavior therapy typically requires extensive time, effort and diligence on the part of the parent. Other solutions that are less effective immediately are Psychotherapy and Social skills training. Each of these forms of therapy help the child learn why they have the symptoms that they do, and how to best solve the issues they are having through learning new behaviors. The issue of overmedication could be attributed to the possibility of parents compensating the behavior therapy aspect of the treatment with additional medication In conclusion, ADHD is not misdiagnosed or over medicated, it is a disorder that exists and needs to be carefully treated through both behavior therapy and appropriate medication.
