CBT Without Medications for Adult ADHD: An Open Pilot Study of Five Patients

Abstract

Medications are considered the primary treatment for symptoms of adult attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), although medications alone may not produce sufficient functional improvements for many patients. Moreover, some adults with ADHD decline pharmacotherapy due to lack of response, side effects, medical contraindication, or personal choice. This article reports on the clinical outcomes of five adults with ADHD who completed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) without concurrent medication treatment. Nonparametric analysis of pretreatment and posttreatment clinical data indicated significant improvements on various measures of ADHD symptoms, overall functioning, depression, and anxiety. Although limited by the small sample size, the current pilot study provides preliminary evidence that CBT may be helpful for adults with ADHD who decline or are unable to take medications in cases in which their symptoms and impairments are relatively mild and uncomplicated. The limitations of this open pilot study and directions for future research also are discussed.

Group Treatment for Adults With ADHD Based on a Novel Combination of Cognitive and Dialectical Behavior Interventions: A Feasibility Study

“…Research regarding psychological interventions for adults with ADHD shows emerging evidence for cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) as a promising treatment approach 17,[43][44][45][46][47][48][49] . Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), modified according the special needs of participants with ADHD, has also shown moderate to large effect sizes in the treatment of adult ADHD 34,50 .…”

Return to Work in Mild Cognitive Disorders

“…Functional improvements may continue after the cessation of treatment (Emilsson et al 2011 ;Salakari et al 2010 ) and may additionally improve symptoms of other comorbid psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety (Bramham et al 2009 ;Emilsson et al 2011 ). Further, a pilot study that included individuals with milder ADHD symptoms who chose not to take medication suggested that CBT alone was associated with improvements in ADHD symptoms, functioning, depression, and anxiety (Ramsay and Rostain 2011 ). Taken together, these results suggest that adults with ADHD obtain signifi cant benefi t from the functionally relevant and goaldirected approach of CBT.…”

Étude descriptive de l’évaluation de comorbidité psychiatrique en déficience intellectuelle adulte

“…Plusieurs enfants (50 %) 11 voient ce trouble se poursuivre à l'adolescence et à l'âge adulte, sans présenter l'ensemble des symptômes ou se manifestant dans des domaines différents de ceux identifiés pendant l'enfance. Toujours selon Ramsay et Rostain (2011) Schalock et al (2010Schalock et al ( , 2011 puis, b) l'évaluation de dix domaines cognitifs, telle que suggérée dans la méta-analyse de Schoechlin et Engel (2005). Les dix domaines cognitifs retenus par Schoechlin et Engel (2005) sont : a) l'intelligence verbale, b) les fonctions exécutives, c) la fluidité verbale, d) la résolution de problèmes visuo-figuraux, e) la résolution de problèmes abstraits nécessitant la mémoire de travail, f) l'attention simple, g) l'attention soutenue, h) l'attention sélective, i) la mémoire verbale et j) la (Palmer, 2006).…”