The Benefits of Alternative Treatments for ADHD

Importance to the Audience

This topic is significant because ADHD is a global problem. In its context, ADHD has been on the rise since its emergence in the 70s. Having an alternative treatment will help to deal with the worldwide prevalence rate that stands at 5%, which has made ADHD most popular psychiatric disorder in patients.

Introduction

Numerous ADHD treatment methods have been introduced since the emergence of this disease. Notably, the most common treatment method of ADAHD is behavioral therapy, also called behavior modification. With time, the alternative treatment methods that have been discovered include pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods (Keilow, Holm & Fallesen, 2018). The pharmacological treatment option works by increasing the levels of norepinephrine and dopamine to achieve the needed neurotransmitter balance in the brain. Indeed, the benefits of ADHD alternative treatment methods are evident in the sense that, if patients fail to respond positively to one method, the alternative is available, and if the pharmacological option has side effects, they can try out the non-pharmacological method.

Supporting Evidence

In the event children suffering from ADHD do not respond to the common method of treatment, they can opt for the pharmacological alternative. According to Geffen & Forster (2018), this method is beneficial since it increases the extracellular dopamine and norepinephrine levels needed by the ADHD patients. This method utilizes methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine drugs, which are used by over 70% of ADHD patients across the world (Keilow, Holm & Fallesen, 2018).

Next, the other benefit of alternative ADHD treatment method is giving patients an option in case of side effects. According to Searight et al. (2012), common side effects of pharmacological treatment are lack of appetite, headache, and insomnia. In addition, patients suffer from irritability, nausea, and abdominal pains. To curb the side effect problem, patients can opt for non-pharmacological alternative, which does not have such problems.

Conclusion 

In overall, the benefits of alternative treatment method for ADHD is that, patients can have numerous choices on the most effective, and dealing with the problem of side effects.

References

Geffen, J., & Forster, K. (2018). Treatment of adult ADHD: a clinical perspective. Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology, 8 (1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/2045125317734977

Keilow, M., Holm, A., & Fallesen, P. (2018). Medical treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and children's academic performance. PloS one, 13 (11), e0207905. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207905

Searight, H. R., Robertson, K., Smith, T., Perkins, S., & Searight, B. K. (2012). Complementary and alternative therapies for pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a descriptive review. ISRN psychiatry, 804127. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/804127