Treatment of ADHD and ADD in children

If your child has been diagnosed with either ADHD or ADD, it can initially be a worrying and daunting prospect. However, with the right support network for your child between home and school environments, alongside a tailored treatment programme from experienced therapists, trained in the treatment of children with the disorder, they will stand the best chance of reducing its impact on their lives.

CBT in the treatment of ADHD and ADD in children

Depending on your child’s age, behavioural therapy may include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which is a problem-solving talking therapy that can help your child to manage their thoughts and behaviours more effectively, or one-to-one psychotherapy, which has been proven to help with a wide range of mental health disorders. Family therapy helps the whole family unit come together to further understand the condition, helping you as parents to explore ways in which you can support your child to deal with symptoms of their condition.  

Medication in the treatment of ADHD and ADD in children

When used alongside therapy based treatment, the addition of medication for your child can help them to concentrate better, generally feel calmer, and maintain their attention span long enough to learn new skills and listen attentively in the classroom. While all of the medication used during Priory treatment programmes for ADHD and ADD are licensed for use in children and teenagers, it is recommended that children under five shouldn’t receive medication for the condition.

Medication used in treating ADHD and ADD in children includes:

• Methylphenidate - most commonly used for the disorder and increases activity in the part of the brain which controls attention and behaviour
• Dexamfetamine - works in a similar why to methylphenidate and is taken as a tablet once or twice a day
• Lisdexamfetamine - used in children over the age of six, and can even be taken into adulthood
• Atomoxetine – works differently to other ADHD medications in that it is known as a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), which helps concentration and controls impulses
• Guanfacine – improves attention and reduces blood pressure, and can be used in children and teenagers

Group therapy in the treatment of ADHD and ADD in children

Older children can also benefit from group therapy sessions, which involve a therapist and co-therapist working across groups of 6-12 people, and provides your child valuable insight into the progress and coping mechanisms of others with the condition. This can, in turn, help them to identify and understand their own problems with ADHD or ADD, within an open and supportive environment. This comfortable setting allows young people to work on more positive patterns of thinking which can help to alleviate unwanted symptoms of the disorder.

Tailored outpatient therapy package for the treatment of ADHD and ADD in children

Priory Wellbeing Centres and hospitals offer swift access for children with ADHD and ADD to a welcoming and friendly treatment environment in which flexible treatment is provided by the country’s leading therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists. Outpatient behavioural and family therapy is regularly offered to young people with ADHD and ADD at Priory, with a tailored one-to-one outpatient therapy package at discounted rates available for children with this condition.

Treatment of adult ADHD and ADD

If you are experiencing symptoms of ADHD or ADD as an adult and it’s affecting your ability to function properly in day-to-day life, then you can benefit from behavioural therapy, individual and group therapy at Priory.   

CBT in the treatment of ADHD and ADD in adults

CBT is often recommended for adults with ADHD or ADD, which can help you to ‘re-programme’ your brain and change the patterns of negative thinking that are associated with the disorder, helping you to manage the symptoms of ADHD better.

Medication in the treatment of ADHD and ADD in adults

Much like the treatment options for younger people with the condition, medication for treating ADHD in adults can be useful as part of a tailored therapy programme involving Priory’s team of experienced specialists in the field, as well as your family members, so that they are in the best position to support and understand what you are going through during the treatment process.

Marriage and family therapy in the treatment of ADHD and ADD in adults

Marriage and family therapy can also help to address adult-specific issues associated with ADHD, including financial issues, marital problems, and responsibilities at home. This type of therapy at Priory can help you and your loved ones to work through these issues, concentrating on finding new ways of dealing with them and improving communication.

Tailored outpatient therapy package for the treatment of ADHD and ADD in adults

In a similar way to children and young people with the disorder, Priory offers a tailored one-to-one outpatient therapy package for this condition. Our packages offer certainty of price for a set amount of one-to-one therapy sessions, including discounted rates. Psychological therapy usually involves one to two sessions each week for about six to eight weeks, and helps you to learn new skills to cope with the symptoms of ADHD, alongside managing stress or controlling any impulsive behaviours.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD) are related behavioural conditions applying mostly to children of school age, with the most prevalent symptoms of ADHD including problems with remaining attentive, being restless or hyperactive, and impulsiveness.

If your child is diagnosed with ADD, this means that they share similar characteristics of a child with ADHD, such as problems concentrating on tasks in school or at home, although they won’t display the same level of hyperactivity; instead they can appear withdrawn or ‘in their own world’.

While your child is mostly likely to be diagnosed with either of these conditions between the ages of 6 to 12 years old, with 2% to 5% of schoolchildren believed to have the disorder, their symptoms can improve with age when they are provided with the right level of support, and particularly when following the bespoke treatment programmes for young people with ADHD at Priory.

It is entirely possible however, that individuals diagnosed with ADHD or ADD as children will continue to experience problems into adulthood, while the condition may not have been recognised at all when you were younger, and instead becomes apparent as difficulties at work or in your home life are increasingly affected by symptoms of the disorders.

Looking after a child with ADHD or ADD can be challenging, although it is important to remember that they have difficulties controlling their behaviour because of the condition. Some of the most common problems that you may encounter when you have a child with ADHD or ADD include:

• Getting them dressed and ready for school on time
• Ensuring that they go to sleep at night
• Listening to instructions
• Social situations
• Shopping and leisure activities

If you are diagnosed with ADHD or ADD as an adult, you will notice many similar everyday problems, with the added pressures of a work environment and additional responsibilities potentially resulting in career and relationship struggles.

When describing the symptoms of ADHD, they tend to be categorised into two distinct types of behavioural problems; inattentiveness as a standalone category, alongside hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

If you have a child diagnosed with ADHD, their symptoms may come under aspects of both categories, as inattentiveness in a classroom for example may well coincide with hyperactivity and restlessness. If your child shows symptoms of inattentiveness yet doesn’t show examples of hyperactivity or impulsiveness, this means that they may have ADD, and is the primary reason why this iteration of the disorder is particularly difficult to diagnose.

Symptoms of ADHD and ADD in children

Many of the symptoms of ADHD and ADD in your child will be noticeable before the age of six, although when your child attends school, it can often become more apparent that issues at home are also occurring in a school environment, with feedback from teachers and staff members likely to confirm related behaviours.

If you believe your child may have either ADHD or ADD, the main signs to look out for in both categories of the disorder include:

Inattentiveness

• Your child may be easily distracted and have a short attention span
• They struggle with concentrating for long periods, and might make simple mistakes when doing their homework
• Sticking to just one task is difficult for them and they may want to switch between several
• Difficulty organising themselves when carrying out tasks or activities
• Losing things often and being forgetful
• Often unable to listen or carry out instructions

Hyperactivity and impulsiveness

• Primarily in ADHD, your child may struggle to sit still in quiet environments
• Talking excessively
• Unable to wait their turn, such as when in line for food at a party
• Impulsive actions without thinking them through
• Reduced sense of danger
• Interrupting conversations

As many of the above symptoms can be detrimental to your child’s life in terms of performance at school, social interaction with peers and adults, and discipline issues, it is important that diagnosis and subsequent treatment is sought as early as possible to help your child to learn to manage their symptoms and give them the best chance of living a fulfilling life.

Symptoms of ADHD and ADD in adults

The symptoms that are found in children with ADHD or ADD can sometimes be applied to adults if it’s suspected that you have the condition, although the way in which symptoms such as inattentiveness and hyperactivity may impact your life as an adult can be different, and often harder to spot. While hyperactivity may decrease as you get older for example, additional life pressures may see the inattentive aspect of ADHD get increasingly worse.

You cannot develop ADHD or ADD in adult life, so it is likely that the signs and symptoms of the disorder weren’t diagnosed when you were younger, or you may just not be aware that the issues that you have in daily life are representative of a disorder. If you have ADHD as an adult, the condition can also occur alongside other mental health conditions such as depression, personality disorders, bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which can all be treated as part of your bespoke treatment plan at Priory.         

The following list of symptoms is often associated with ADHD or ADD in adults:

• Poor organisational skills which can affect your ability to carry out work related tasks or manage finances
• Continually losing or misplacing things
• Restlessness that can make it difficult to complete lengthy tasks
• Difficulty keeping quiet and not waiting your turn in meetings or general conversation
• Mood swings and irritability which may affect relationships both at home and at work
• Struggle to deal with excess stress

While the exact cause of ADHD and ADD isn’t yet fully understood, there are a number of factors that are believed to contribute to an individual developing the disorder, which include:

Genetics

studies have indicated that family genetics may have a role to play in the development of ADHD, with patterns of the disorder sometimes found across generations. However, the complexity of the condition isn’t believed to be related to a specific genetic fault. 

Brain structure

If your child has ADHD, it may be due to their brains operating differently to children without the condition, with research suggesting that it may take an average of two to three years longer for the brain to mature in children with the disorder than in children without ADHD.   

Birth and pregnancy complications 

Circumstances around your child’s birth may also have an impact, with low birthweight and premature birth suggested as being factors of ADHD development, while substance abuse during pregnancy may also increase the chances of your child developing the condition.