Psychological Treatments

Abstract

As adolescents move into adulthood, they increasingly face responsibility for structuring and managing their own time and activities. For those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), psychological support and treatment is warranted. Those with comorbid psychiatric conditions and adults who have been newly diagnosed as having ADHD may need more intensive psychological treatment. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines state that drug treatment should be considered the first-line therapy for adults with ADHD unless the person would prefer a psychological approach. However, the NICE guidelines note that, despite the lack of a strong evidence base for the use of psychological therapies in ADHD, their effectiveness is not in doubt and, moreover, they emphasize that there is a need to provide comprehensive programs to address psychological, behavioral, and occupational problems. The guidelines also recommend that for those whose symptoms are decreasing in severity, psychological therapies may be sufficient to manage residual functional impairments. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is likely to be the most appropriate intervention because of its highly structured and person-centered nature. Group treatments are likely to be the most resourceful and cost-effective. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)