Since the 1990s, a series of studies have monitored the treatment of 600 children with ADHD across the U.S. A year into their research, the scientists concluded that medication like Ritalin and Concerta worked better than psychotherapy for ADHD. This proclamation influenced medical practices on both sides of the Atlantic, and prescription rates in the U.S. and the U.K. sky-rocketed. Then in 2007, the same researchers did a complete about-face. After a longer-term analysis, they reversed their decision, saying that drug therapy does not work and can stunt growth in children. After 3 years of Ritalin treatment, children are about an inch shorter and 6 pounds lighter than their peers who do not take the drug, according to a 2007 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Although medication may no loner be a safe or effective option for children and adolescents, psychotherapy can help. A large body of research suggests that psychotherapy is an important part of an ADHD treatment plan. In studies, psychotherapy combined with other treatments has been is associated with significant improvements on all clinical measures.

Psychotherapy can help people with ADHD to do the following:

• Overcome negative thinking patterns
• Control impulsive behaviors
• Manage stress and anger
• Communicate more clearly
• Organization and scheduling
• Boost productivity at work, home, and school

The most prevalent psychotherapeutic method for treating both children and adults with ADHD is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT works by modifying thoughts, assumptions, beliefs, and behaviors, with the goal of changing disturbed emotions, a reaction that is common in ADHD.

Psychotherapy works to help people with ADHD to accept and like themselves despite their disorder. In psychotherapy, people with ADHD are able to talk with the therapist about upsetting thoughts and feelings, explore self-defeating patterns of behavior, and learn alternative ways to cope and handle stress.