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Treatment of ADHD in Adults
Adults suffering from adhd are treated with medication, therapy, and family support. Clinical trials are being conducted to test new treatments for ADHD.
The stimulant medications are the most effective drugs for adults with ADHD. They need to be monitored regularly. This includes regular appointments with a physician and frequent examinations of symptoms.
Medications
There are many drugs that can reduce the symptoms of ADHD in adults. They are referred to as psychostimulants. they affect the levels of certain chemicals in your brain (neurotransmitters) that transmit messages between nerve cells. Your doctor will select the best medication for you and determine the most effective dose and time to take it. It could take some time to find the right dosage and medication that is able to control your symptoms.
adhd treatment adults that doctors prescribe to adults with ADHD is stimulants. They increase the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine in your brain, which improve your ability to concentrate and manage impulses. The medications are available in short-, medium- and long-acting versions. Short-acting stimulants can last for up to 6 hours. Intermediate-acting medications last 8-10 hours. Long-acting drugs last up to 16 hours. Long-acting stimulants are less likely to cause side effects than intermediate- or shorter-acting medicines. However, they can cause sleepiness and changes in appetite.
Nonstimulant drugs, such as atomoxetine (Strattera), can be used to treat adult ADHD when stimulants aren't effective or cause undesirable side consequences. These medicines don't affect your dopamine or norepinephrine however they increase the amount of norepinephrine available to your brain and improve your ability to focus. These capsules are consumed once or twice daily.
Certain adults who suffer from ADHD have co-occurring disorders, such as anxiety or depression. These are known as comorbid disorders and they can impact how you respond to treatment for ADHD. Before beginning treatment for ADHD it is essential to address any comorbid issues. Patients with a history of substance abuse disorder are more likely to use psychostimulants. It's best to wait until a person has stopped using drugs before treating them with stimulants.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is an interactive process of talking and discussing issues that may be disturbing or troubling for a person. The therapist listens and provides guidance based on her education, training as well as experience as well as professional qualifications and therapeutic philosophies. Psychotherapy can be short-term, (a few weeks or even months), addressing more immediate issues, or more long-term. The therapist and the patient determine the length and frequency of treatment.
The combination of psychotherapy and medication is an extremely effective method to treat adults suffering from ADHD. Behavioral therapy can help individuals improve their time management, organizational skills and prioritizing. It can also teach strategies to manage emotions, such as anger and frustration. Treatment can ease symptoms and improve focus, leading to more productive and effective academic and work performance.
Adults who suffer from ADHD are more likely of co-existing conditions. This is particularly true for mood disorders like depression and anxiety. It is important that any co-existing disorders be treated prior to starting treatment for ADHD. The treatment of co-existing disorders may require different types of medications and dosages compared to the ones prescribed to treat ADHD.
A person with ADHD can also have hypertension. To select a medication to treat the ADHD symptoms without destabilizing the patient's hypertension it is essential to understand how different medications affect individuals in the course of time, as well as the interactions between the medications.
It is essential to find a therapist who has experience treating adults with ADHD and with whom you are comfortable. It is important to schedule your first few sessions at a time when you will not be distracted by family or work obligations.
Counseling
Adults who suffer from ADHD face many challenges in their lives, such as problems at work and in relationships. They may also experience anger, blame, and frustration that have developed in their lives because of their symptoms. Psychosocial therapies can help patients and their families develop new abilities, attitudes, and ways of relating.
Psychotherapy may include cognitive behavioral therapy, a type of psychotherapy that aids individuals to modify their thinking and behavior. It involves setting goals, training and the practice of skills, as well as teaching strategies for improving self-esteem and organizational skills. It can be done in a private or in a group. A few studies have proven that metacognitive treatment can significantly reduce symptoms and improve functioning for adults suffering from ADHD (Stevenson and co-authors, 2002).
In addition to psychotherapy, some individuals with ADHD require counseling to deal with specific life issues. These challenges may include family conflicts, aggressive or impulsive behaviors, or difficulty in dealing with failures and disappointments. Counseling can help teach strategies to manage these situations, improve communication and enhance problem-solving abilities. It can also improve interpersonal relationships, especially in marriages and other long-term partnerships.
Family therapy and support groups therapy are other forms of psychotherapy that can be utilized to treat ADHD. These can help families deal with the anxiety of having a child suffering from ADHD, as well as help improve communication and reduce conflict. It can help parents to understand the disorder and develop parenting strategies that encourage positive outcomes in their children.
Adults suffering from ADHD must discuss their medication regularly with their physicians and inform them of any other medications, such as over-the counter drugs. Some medications can cause adverse reactions or interact with other medications.
Medication Monitoring
After a comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis is made, it is important that the patient is monitored to ensure that they are receiving the benefits of medication and not experiencing side effects. It is recommended that patients be referred for initial clinical monitoring within 30 days of initiating treatment, and every month following that. For psychostimulants (methylphenidate, amphetamines) this enables complete titration to an effective and well-tolerated dosage. This permits accurate recording of the patient's reaction and assists in avoiding the patient from being kept taking insufficient doses (slow metabolizers) or forcing those who require higher doses to unnecessarily high levels (rapid metabolizers).
Adults who do not respond well to stimulant medications or have side effects that are intolerable might benefit from non-stimulant drugs. Most often, this is the use of atomoxetine, or other related alternatives to methylphenidate.
Adults with ADHD frequently suffer from co-occurring disorders such as mood or anxiety disorder, substance abuse issues or depression. They may also suffer from medical conditions like hearing or vision problems, or chronic sleep disorders. As part of the initial evaluation for ADHD it is crucial to identify for these conditions and then evaluate the severity of them. These conditions could have a significant impact on functional impairments in adults.
Marital therapy is also useful in the treatment of ADHD. Spouses often report that they are overwhelmed by the responsibilities to care for their spouses with ADHD and can become angry and angry due to this. Reduced resentment can be achieved by increasing the patient's understanding of the condition, and helping them understand that the symptoms are not caused by an absence of love or willfulness. Couples who undergo this type of therapy usually experience improved family functioning.
Behavioral Therapy
For adults with ADHD, psychotherapy is generally recommended and should incorporate a cognitive-behavioral component. Behavioral therapy can help patients to improve their abilities to manage their time and focus and control their the impulsive behavior. It teaches patients to manage their home, work and social settings more effectively. Psychotherapy can also help patients understand how their disorder impacts different aspects of their lives and relationships. This can help alleviate the self-doubt and shame that is often seen in those with ADHD who are thought of as lazy or insufficiently intelligent.
Many psychiatric disorders can mimic ADHD symptoms. Adult ADHD patients are more likely to be suffering from depression and anxiety disorders. The presence of other psychiatric issues should be analyzed, as appropriate, to determine whether or not the patient's ADHD symptoms are connected to them.
A combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy is generally recommended for treatment of ADHD in adults. It has been proven that when a combination of medication and psychotherapy is employed the results are superior than either treatment alone. Future controlled medication studies will attempt to monitor and evaluate the effects of functional improvement, like improvement in school performance as well as in the workplace and interpersonal relationships.