Psykoterapeutiske og psykososiale behandlingsmetoder for voksne med Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Background:The fact that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) persists into adulthood, and is a serious clinical problem, has been increasingly accepted over the last decades. Even though pharmacotherapy, specifically stimulants, is considered to be the first line treatment for adults with ADHD, the long-term effects of this type of treatment is not well documented. Additionally, some adults that suffer from ADHD respond poorly to pharmacological treatment and some do not wish to, or cannot, be on this kind of treatment because of adverse effects. Furthermore, it is well established that adults with ADHD are subjected to suffer from other psychiatric diseases, such as depression and anxiety, which increases the burden of disease. Objective:The aim of this project theses is to explore if non- pharmacological therapy, specifically; cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness and coaching, could be effective in treating adults with ADHD and help patients improve their quality of life. Materials and methods: A literature review was conducted through searching on PubMed which resulted in a total of 13 articles related to cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness and coaching. Results: Overall the results suggest that psychotherapeutic interventions show positive effects for adults with ADHD. The studies done on cognitive behavioral therapy reported a reduction of both core symptoms in and secondary symptom. Dialectical behavior therapy shows similar results, and there is reason to believe that the structural program that dialectical behavior therapy offers is a treatment style that many patients benefit from. Studies done on mindfulness indicate a significant effect on executive functions, which again is expected to lead to a reduction of the core symptoms. Studies done on coaching suggests that this treatment is most effective for patients that are motivated and have few secondary symptoms. Conclusion: Studies to date suggests that psychotherapeutic interventions improve the general wellbeing of adults with ADHD, whether it is directly caused by the reduction of the core symptoms, or if it is a consequence of the effects that the therapeutic interventions give on other domains, remains unclear. There is still need for more comprehensive studies to validate these findings. Psychotherapy should be considered as a treatment for adults with ADHD, but only after a thorough exploration of the patient’s motivation, cognitive functions and life situation, so that the patient can receive a targeted treatment