Attention Deficit Hyperactivi... Health Article

Treatment team

The treatment team involves behavioral and medical specialists. Concerning behavior, teachers play a very important role. Their daily observation of the child and the use of standard evaluation tests can help in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. More specialized consultants within the school system, such as psychometrists, may also be available. Outside of the school setting, psychologists, social workers, and family therapists can also be involved in treatment.

The use of medications involves physicians, nurses, and pharmacists.

Treatment

Behavior treatment can consist of the monitoring of school performance and the use of standard evaluation tests. For older children, adolescents, and adults, support groups can be valuable. As well, ADHD patients can learn behavioral techniques that are useful in self-monitoring their behavior and making the appropriate modifications (such as a time out). Behavior treatment is useful in combination with drug therapy or as a stand-alone treatment in those cases in which the use of medication is not tolerated or is not preferred.

Medical treatment can consist of the use of drugs such as Ritalin that are intended to modify over-exuberant behavior, or other drugs that have differing targets of activity. Psychostimulant medications like Ritalin, Cylert, and Dexedrine increase brain activity by increasing the brain concentration of chemicals such as dopamine, which are involved in the transmission of impulses or by stimulating the receptors to which the chemicals bind. Psychostimulant medications can sometimes disrupt sleep, depress appetite, cause stomachaches and headaches, and trigger feelings of anger and anxiousness, particularly in people afflicted with psychiatric illnesses such as bipolar disorder or depression. For many people, the side effects are mild and can become even milder with long-term use of the drugs.

Antidepressant medications such as imipramine act by slowing down the absorption of chemicals that function in the transmission of impulses. Central alpha agonists are particularly used in the treatment of hyperactivity. By restricting the presence of neurotransmitter chemicals in the gap between neurons, drugs such as clonidine and guanfacine restrict the flow of information from one neuron to the next. There have been four reported cases of sudden death in people taking clonidine in combination with the drug methylphenidate (Ritalin), and reports of nonfatal heart disturbances in people taking clonidine alone.

Finally, medications known as selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors restrict the production of norepinephrine between neurons, which inhibits the sudden and often hyperactive "fight or flight" response.