Can ADHD Be Cured?

• What Does It Mean?
  • What does ADHD mean?
• Possible Causes
  • Does watching too much TV cause ADHD?

There's no known cure for ADHD

ADHD cannot be cured.  Early diagnosis and management with a good treatment plan can help a person manage their symptoms. The treatment of ADHD depends on several factors such as:

• Age
• Severity of symptoms
• Predominant symptoms (predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, inattentive, or both)

The treatment of ADHD involves the combined use of behavioral therapy and medications.

• For children under six years of age, ADHD is managed with behavior therapy. This includes training the parents to deal with the potential issues the child may face. Medications may not be needed at this stage and behavioral therapy and parental counseling are all that is needed.
• For children six years and above, medications are given along with behavior therapy and training the parents. ADHD affects the child’s relationships with family and other children besides affecting their ability to pay attention or sit still at school. Hence, caregivers at school should be trained in dealing with the behavioral problems in the child.  The caregivers, schoolteachers, parents must work out an option that is best for the child.
• Adequate management plans for ADHD include close monitoring, follow-up, and necessary treatment modifications by the doctor.

Behavioral therapy includes:

• Training parents in behavior management
• Behavioral interventions in the classroom
• Peer interventions that focus on behavior
• Organizational skills training

Medications include:

Stimulants: Stimulants are the best-known medications for ADHD. They are the most widely used ADHD medications. These are fast-acting medications and have shown to manage symptoms in about 70-80% of children with ADHD. The stimulant medications include:

• Focalin (Dexmethylphenidate)
• Dexedrine (Dextroamphetamine)