Long hailed as the best treatment for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, medication is coming up against some sharp criticism. The critics are the authors, and some readers, of a recent study that found that the effects of ADHD meds diminish over time.

[The] Multimodal Treatment Study that helped popularize ADHD drugs when it found in 1999 that they were more effective than behavioral therapy in the first 14 months ... now reports the advantage is gone by the three-year mark. By the six- and eight-year marks, across 30 measures of behavior and academics, the children still being given medication by their parents 'fared no better than their non-medicated counterparts...' (Source: USA TODAY)

In light of this new information, and because of the risks that are associated with medication, some parents are opting for behavioral therapy and other forms of treatment for their children. The results of the study don't mean that medication is useless, experts advise, but simply that it should be part of a multi-faceted approach.

Labels: medications, therapy, Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder, studies

Posted By: Aspen/CRC