Ritalin and ADHD

Research Paper # 116835

Medical and Health > Pharmacy
Psychology > Child and Adolescent
Psychology > Disorders

Ritalin and ADHD

A discussion on Ritalin as the preferred treatment for attention deficit hyperactive disorder.

2,182 words () | 10 sources | APA | 2009 Israel

Paper Summary:

This paper provides information on ADHD and on the recommended treatment for its symptoms by stimulants, mainly Ritalin. It also attempts to show that there are many other therapies that can complement Ritalin, such as modified parent behavior, counseling, EEG biofeedback, and other alternatives such as diet control and environmental therapies such as open green spaces. In the final analysis, Ritalin remains the main source of effective treatment and control of ADHD symptoms, and the others can play a positive part as a supplementary therapy, but are not effective in symptom control alone.

From the Paper:

"In addition to treatment by stimulants such as Ritalin and Concerta, there may be other elements that affect the symptoms of ADHD. A study by Monastra, Monastra and George (2002) asks to investigate the effects of stimulant therapy, which affects the core symptoms, EEG biofeedback, and parenting style on these symptoms. The reason these researchers wanted to study the subject is that as much as 10-30% of children with ADHD symptoms do not respond to these medications, therefore there has also been an interest in examining the effects of behavioral therapies in trying to help develop the academic, social, and attentional abilities of these children. Biofeedback has also been considered in this study, as a supplement to treatment with stimulants. It was seen that parent training generated even more improvements in secondary areas of psychosocial functioning such as learning, behavioral, social, and emotional problems. "

Sample of Sources Used:

Banaschewski, T. Roessner, V., Dittmann, R.W., Santosh, P.J., Rothenberger, A., (2008). Non-stimulant medications in the treatment of ADHD. European Child Adolescent Psychiatry (Suppl. 1) 13:I/102-I/116.
Biederman, J., Quinn, D., Weiss, M., Markabi, S., Weidenman, M., Edson, K., Karlsson, G., Pohlmann, H. and Wigal, S. (2003). Efficacy and Safety of Ritalin(r) LA(TM), a New, Once Daily, Extended-Release Dosage Form of Methylphenidate, in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Pediatric Drugs 2003; 5 (12)
Furman, L. (2005). What Is Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? Journal of Child Neurology 2005; 20:994-1002.
Lage, M., Hwang, P. (2004). Effect of methylphenidate formulation for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on patterns and outcomes of treatment. Journal of child Adolescent Pshychopharmacoloy 2004 Winter; 14 (4): 575-81.
Miller, A.R., Kohen, D., Johnston, C. (2008). Child Characteristics and Receipt of Stimulant Medications: A Population-Based Study. Ambulatory Pediatrics. Lawrence: May/Jun 2008. Vol 8, Iss. 3; pg. 2175-182.