<![CDATA[Adult ADHD]]>

<![CDATA[Adult ADHD]]> en daily 1 <![CDATA[Attention Sappers: 5 Reasons You Can't Concentrate]]>

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), this chronic inattentiveness becomes debilitating.

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What's your biggest attention sapper, and how do you deal with it?

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Are these celebrities good ADHD role models?

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Do you think untreated ADHD leads to substance use and abuse?

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This finding was somewhat surprising, says study coauthor Brooke Molina, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Researchers who study substance use and ADHD have tended to "zero in on impulsivity," she explains, because studies have shown impulsivity can predict alcohol, drug, and tobacco use over the long term.

Although impulsivity clearly plays an important role in ADHD and substance use, Dr. Molina suspects that inattention—which can cause academic and social problems that can in turn contribute to substance use—may prove to a more important factor than has been thought.

Next Page: Job and relationship stress may affect ADHD adults

The role of age in substance use among people with ADHD is also an open question. Most studies have looked at teenagers, rather than adults in their 20s and beyond,so the ways in which ADHD affects substance use in different stages of life remain unclarified.

In a 2007 study, Dr. Molina and her coauthors reported that childhood ADHD predicted heavy drinking in 15- to 17-year-olds, but not in 18- to 25-year-olds. It's not that the young adults with ADHD suddenly stopped drinking, Dr. Molina explains; it's that they entered the age bracket, which includes college students, in which frequent and heavy drinking is most common.

Dr. Molina and her colleagues plan to follow the study participants into their late 20s, when heavy drinking in the general population tends to subside as people marry and pursue careers. But adults in that age range with ADHD, she notes, tend to experience difficulties with job performance, social relationships, and other common life experiences.

"We have a hypothesis that a substantial number of those ADHD heavy drinkers will not mature out of it," Dr. Molina says. "There are quite a few impairments that will follow a number of these kids that should in theory contribute to continued drinking problems."

Next Page: Can medication help prevent substance use?

Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school, Phelps's mother told the New York Times in 2008, when his teachers remarked on his lack of focus and inability to sit still. Between the ages of 9 and 11, he took Ritalin, a stimulant medication prescribed for ADHD. Ultimately, he asked to be taken off the medication because he felt stigmatized by going to the nurse's office every day.

Some research suggests that children with ADHD who are treated with stimulants may be less likely to use drugs and alcohol. (Some observers, on the other hand, have suggested that stimulants, which can be abused, may actually predispose children with ADHD to substance use.)

A 2008 study that followed a group of adolescent women with ADHD for five years found that the participants who had been treated with stimulants were nearly 75% less likely to develop a substance-use disorder than those who were not, while other research has shown that the use of ADHD medication in young men reduces the risk of later substance-use disorders by 85%.

Although the reason for this apparent "protective effect" remains unknown, Faraone (who was involved in both of the studies) says the symptoms of ADHD seem to play a role. "It's very possible that symptoms such as impulsivity put adolescents at risk for substance abuse," Faraone says. "If you're an impulsive adolescent, and you're at a party where someone is passing around a marijuana cigarette, you're more likely to say 'I'll try that' if your impulsive symptoms are not controlled well by stimulants."

Is the ADHD brain drawn to drugs and alcohol?
Another explanation may be genetic. Both stimulant treatment and substance use involve dopamine and catecholamine, chemicals in the brain involved in pleasure, reward, and stress.

Studies in hyperactive rats have shown that stimulant therapy decreases hyperactivity as well as the appetite for alcohol and other substances, according to Faraone, which suggest that stimulants may act on ADHD symptoms and substance use in similar ways.

"A medication like a stimulant affects the way the brain works," Faraone says. "And when you affect the way the brain works in a child, what you're doing in the child's brain to help ADHD may somehow also be preventing substance abuse at a neurological level, as opposed to a behavioral level."

But not everyone is convinced of this, according to Dr. Molina. "The jury's out" on the effects of stimulants in relation to substance use, she says. "More research is needed."

]]> Phelps lost a lucrative sponsorship after being photographed smoking pot. He was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. (GETTY IMAGES) <![CDATA[ADHD and the Myth of Multitasking: How to Regain Your Focus]]>

adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or are just a busy person on the go, you've probably developed your own strategies for multitasking: paying bills while checking email, preparing for a meeting while cooking dinner, or spending time with your kids while scribbling down to-do lists. And you probably think you're pretty efficient when you multitask, right? Think again.

A growing body of research shows that people who try to manage more than one unrelated task at the same time typically don't perform as well; drivers chatting on cell phones, for instance, take longer to reach their destinations, a 2008 University of Utah study found.

“That’s the myth of multitasking,” says Edward Hallowell, MD, ADHD specialist and author of CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life. “It’s like playing tennis with two balls: Your game’s not as good as it would be with one ball.”

How to stop?
Strive to give each task your full attention. Dr. Hallowell tells of a lawyer who negotiated an amazing deal. Later, the adversaries couldn’t believe they’d agreed to such terms. The savvy lawyer’s secret? He focused on the deal only, while the other team checked their PDAs.

You can achieve this type of focus if you go linear—do one thing at a time, moving from one task to the next. Try it: Instead of talking on the phone while answering emails and helping your child do homework, go linear; it won’t take longer and you’ll be sharper.

This content was first published in Health magazine, August 2008. Read the full article, Making Time for Me.

]]> It's not just dangerous; it's also a waste of time. (ISTOCKPHOTO) <![CDATA[Quiz: Could You Have Adult ADHD? About the Scoring]]>

adult ADHD quiz can help you decide whether to see a doctor about any attention or behavior problems you may be experiencing. The questions and scoring matrix have been used as a screening tool for doctors and mental-health professionals for more than 15 years.

What your score means

If you scored...	You may have...
70 or higher	Severe adult ADHD
50 to 69	Moderate adult ADHD
35 to 49	Mild adult ADHD
25 to 34	Borderline adult ADHD
0 to 24	No adult ADHD likely

For another type of adult ADHD self-screening questionnaire, try the World Health Organization's six-question symptom checklist.

How the quiz is scored
For each answer, the following points are awarded. Your total score, out of a possible 120, indicates the likelihood that you have ADHD or another attention disorder.

Not at all	0 points
Just a little	1 point
Somewhat	2 points
Moderately	3 point
Quite a lot	4 points
Very much	5 points

This quiz was developed by and is Copyright © 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Lawrence Jasper, PhD and Ivan Goldberg, MD. Adopted from the printed edition of the Jasper/Goldberg Adult ADD Screening Examination for electronic distribution. For personal use only; other use may be prohibited by law. Used here with permission.

]]> <![CDATA[Take the Quiz: Could You Have Adult ADHD?]]>

adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); it is not a diagnostic test. Only a doctor can determine if a person has ADHD, although the doctor may ask the patient questions similar to the ones below—in addition to taking a detailed history and conducting a mental-health examination—to help diagnosis ADHD and rule out other conditions.

A score of 70 or higher on this quiz indicates a likelihood of severe ADHD, although high scores may also result from head injuries, anxiety, depression, or mania.

To take the questionnaire, select one answer for each question that best applies to how you have felt and behaved during most of your adult life. If you have usually been one way and recently have changed, your response should reflect how you have usually been.

]]> <![CDATA[Adult ADHD: I Thought I'd Outgrown It, but the Symptoms Came Back]]>

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

When I was in the second grade, I was diagnosed with hyperactivity, which is now officially called ADHD. After a few years of poor test grades, lack of concentration at school, and frequent behavior problems, I spent two weeks undergoing tests at a local children’s hospital. My doctor finally put me on Ritalin—and, to offset the negative side effects of the Ritalin, like sleeplessness and restlessness, he also prescribed Stelazine, an antipsychotic often used to treat anxiety. I took both of those pills twice a day.

It can be a little embarrassing to be the kid in school who has to go to the nurse’s office before lunch to take pills. It felt like everyone who knew I took medication was thinking, “There’s the crazy kid,” or was worried I would lose control if they made me mad. When I got to junior high, I didn’t want to be considered crazy anymore, so I stopped taking the medication. I still did well in school, getting As and Bs, so I thought I’d outgrown my ADHD.

Distraction remained a lingering problem
I finished high school, but didn’t go to college. My parents split up, and I decided to join the Navy. After the Navy, I went to work as a sheet-metal worker, and I’ve been doing that ever since. But about six or seven years ago, I felt like I was experiencing some lingering ADHD symptoms. Maybe I hadn’t grown out of it after all. When I was younger, people expected less from me—I could put down whatever I was doing and go have a few beers with the guys, and no one really ever called me on it. But as I was evolving in my career and I had to be more professional, I started to notice that I still had a problem.

The best way I can describe what ADHD feels like, without you experiencing it yourself, is to think about when you’re in school and you’re doing a sheet of math problems. After about the third one, you think you already know how to do it and you don’t want to do it anymore. But practice makes perfect, and you have to finish your work.

Most people have the willpower to trudge through the problems and get their work done. But with me, it’s almost like my mind won’t let me finish my work. Take that feeling of not wanting to finish the work, and multiply it by 100. I’ll think to myself, “Look at that yellow bird; look at that ant crawling.” My brain picks up on anything and everything else going on around me—anything to take my focus away from the task at hand.

Next Page: As an adult, it’s harder to ignore

As an adult, it’s harder to ignore
 Now that I’ve got a wife and kids and I hold a lot of responsibility at work, my difficulty focusing became something I could no longer push to the back burner and ignore. Now it’s an issue that I have to take care of, because it started to affect the way I want to live my life.

I once built a machine for my company from the ground up, and after it was finished I was supposed to do some tedious computer work. I’m used to working with my hands, so to sit still and program codes, I just had a heck of a time staying in that chair. I saw a doctor who decided I do still have ADHD. The doctor prescribed Concerta, which is basically a time-released capsule of Ritalin, which I take five times a week.

Any kind of monotony is difficult for me to deal with. I like variety. I’m the kind of person who throws away the instructions when I have to put together one of my daughters’ Christmas presents. I might have to dig them out of the trash after I’ve put the thing together incorrectly the first time, but that’s just the way I do things. I’m definitely a very creative person. I paint with oils, I write poetry, and I build all sorts of sculptures out of leftover steel from work. It seems like some of the only times I can really sit in one place for very long is when I’m physically creating something—which is probably why so much of my free time is spent on these types of hobbies.

Fitting in and living with stigma
As a male in this society, you’re supposed to be able to control your emotions. I’m lucky in that I only need to take my medication five days a week to stay in control. I don’t take any medication on weekends, because my home life has never caused any problems; it’s only been in school or at work that I’ve had difficulty. The pills help me focus and get my work done during the day, but once I get home I can relax and do things at my own pace, keeping myself occupied with different activities. If society was built a little differently, I could probably fit in a lot better. For example, the 40-hour work week? Not for me.

I don’t think there’s a lot of room for people like me in this society. If you’re in certain professions, you’re stuck in a box. The creativity and idealism of some people with ADHD lets us really think outside of the box. Someone with ADHD could come up with an idea no one’s ever had before. But it would be hard to make money, as most people aren’t too hot on hiring someone who lets their creativity run wild like that.

A few of my friends and coworkers have come to me with questions about ADHD. It’s not a secret that I take medication; if you know me, you probably know I have ADHD. Some people have even told me that they’d always wondered if they themselves had the disorder. I gave them a couple of books to read, so they could decide if they needed to see a doctor.

I guess I never did outgrow it, but I never really let having ADHD bother me too much. I’m a little different than your average person, but I’m happy for who I am and for what I’ve made of it.

]]> Rich realized in his mid-40s that his childhood attention problems had never really gone away. (RICH JENKINS) <![CDATA[6 Questions to Ask Yourself About Adult ADHD Symptoms]]>

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have trouble focusing, remembering things, and completing tasks once they begin. But often they don't realize there's anything they can do; they think it's just the way they are and always will be.

If your inability to concentrate is causing significant stress in your life, score yourself with the questions below. Only a qualified physician can diagnose you with ADHD, but the following scenarios might help you decide whether your issues are the result of normal life stress or a real medical condition.

This questionnaire was developed in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Workgroup on Adult ADHD, and is intended for people ages 18 and older.

Circle the number that best describes how you have felt and conducted yourself over the past six months. Add up your total and give the completed questionnaire to your healthcare professional during your next appointment to discuss the results. A score of 11 points or higher indicates that your symptoms may be consistent with Adult ADHD.

	Rarely	Sometimes	Often	Very Often
1. How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?	1	2	3	4
2. When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?	1	2	3	4
3. How often are you distracted by activity or noise around you?	1	2	3	4
4. How often do you leave your seat in meetings or other situations in which you are expected to remain seated?	1	2	3	4
5. How often do you feel restless or fidgety?	1	2	3	4
6. How often do you have difficulty waiting your turn in situations when turn taking is required?	1	2	3	4

The six-question Adult Self-Report Scale-Version1.1 (ASRS-V1.1) Screener is a subset of the WHO's 18-question Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-Version1.1 (Adult ASRS-V1.1) Symptom Checklist. Download the full checklist from the Harvard School of Medicine.

ASRS-V1.1 Screener COPYRIGHT © 2003 World Health Organization (WHO). Reprinted with permissionof WHO. All rights reserved.

]]> (ISTOCKPHOTO) <![CDATA[Frequently Asked Questions About ADHD in Adolescents and Adults]]>

David W. Goodman, MD, is director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland, director of Suburban Psychiatric Associates, and an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Q: My child was just diagnosed with ADHD and I notice that I have similar symptoms. Should I get checked out?

A: Yes. ADHD does run in families, and about 75% of the cause is genetic. If you have a child with ADHD, there’s a 30% to 40% chance that either parent has it. Often, this is when adults first realize they have ADHD—they’re able to finally pinpoint what’s been at the root of their lifelong difficulty of getting things done like everyone else.

Q: How common is ADHD in adults? I thought it was just something you grow out of after childhood.

A: According to the largest U.S. survey, 9 to 10 million adults have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Onset of symptoms only starts in childhood, meaning it can’t just develop when you’re older. If you weren’t diagnosed as a child, in order to have the condition as an adult, you should be able to recall consistently suffering from symptoms, like an inability to focus or constant disorganization, throughout most of your life. We know from following ADHD children for 10 to 20 years that up to 65% will continue to have ADHD symptoms to an impairing degree into adulthood.

Q: But is this really a medical condition? Can't some people just be more fidgety or less motivated than other?

A: As with clinical depression, it is easy to discount psychological symptoms because, "Don’t we all have a little of this?" It is important for the public to understand that when psychiatrists are discussing these disorders, there are a specific grouping of symptoms and that extensive medical research supports the validity of these conditions. In regards to adult ADHD, the research has only developed over the last 20 years after following ADHD children for 10 to 20 years to see how they develop.

Physicians generally have not been formally trained on adult ADHD in medical school, and many have difficulty identifying the disorder in patients. Because there are no blood tests or X-rays that can make psychiatric diagnoses, the criticism is, "It’s all made up". But I'm hopeful that with other medical diseases, in due time psychiatric disorders will be better defined by genetics and brain imaging.

Q: What are common symptoms of ADHD?

A: Chronic inattention, distraction, and disorganization that impair your ability to function on the job or at home. As an adult with ADHD, you may often show up late to office meetings, have poor time management skills, or often misplace papers—even though you are genuinely trying to keep it together. In a staff meeting, you might zone in and out of the conversation, get up every 10 minutes, and constantly fidget with your pen. At home, maybe you frequently lose your keys, get your kids to school late, and forget to give them their lunch, sign off on papers, or pick them up at school.

Q: I’m not succeeding at work. Is this because of my ADHD?

A: Coworkers or supervisors may brand you as lazy or unmotivated because you don’t get your work done on time. Despite intelligence, if you’re an adult with ADHD, you find that it takes you much longer to get tasks completed. Or, you may race through a project just to get it done and make a lot of careless mistakes.

Adults with ADHD are more likely to lose their jobs. In fact, they hold 50% to 75% more jobs over a course of a 10-year period than average. And, they make on average $10,000 a year less. Seeking proper treatment will likely improve job performance.

Next Page: But is ADHD actually dangerous?

Q: But is ADHD actually dangerous?

A: We know that teens and young adults with untreated ADHD have higher risks of driving accidents and unwanted pregnancies. They also are more likely than non-ADHD adults to have anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and depression. Because structured schoolwork requires intense concentration, high school students with ADHD are less likely to graduate, go to college, or to graduate college if they do go. And about 50% of ADHD adults will have or have had a history of substance or alcohol abuse.

Q: My friend says that she occasionally forgets things or gets distracted, too. When do I know it’s serious enough to see my doctor?

A: Everyone’s forgetful or scatterbrained on occasion. Adults with ADHD experience it so consistently that it creates ongoing problems in their lives. Essential to the diagnosis is the existence of these symptoms since childhood and the persistence of symptoms every day of your life. If you have a lifelong history of inattention, disorganization, and inability to complete tasks at the same level as your peers, then you should see your doctor.

Q: How will my doctor diagnose me?

A: You and your physician will have a conversation about your current symptoms and will also establish if you had them as a child. Then you’ll talk about your family psychiatric history to determine if any immediate family members have or show signs of the condition. If you’re curious about what your physician may ask or want to learn more about your symptoms, many doctors use the World Health Organization’s Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale as part of their evaluation.

Q: People are always telling me that I should be on meds. Are drugs necessary?

A: It depends on your lifestyle. If, for example, you’re an accountant and need to maintain a sharp focus all day, then meds would be critical. Usually we prescribe long-acting, once daily stimulant medication, which alter your brain chemistry so that you can sustain attention, be better organized, and have better recall, making daily tasks much easier. The difference is similar to wearing glasses when you have blurred vision. It’s a night and day difference.

Of course, there are pros and cons to all medications. Trying out a med will give you the chance to see how much of an improvement it can make on your life. The drugs are also long-acting, allowing you to take one dose that lasts 8 to 12 hours. However, they do have side effects, like dry mouth, difficulty sleeping, decreased appetite, and cardiovascular risks. Your physician should monitor your blood pressure and pulse while taking them.

Next Page: What other treatments are available?

Q: What other treatments are available?

A: Behavioral therapy will help you learn how to deal with symptoms. For example, we teach organizational techniques using day planners, list-making, and visual reminders (like Post-its), in order to allow you to manage work tasks and household chores better. I find that combination therapy—with medication and behavioral techniques—works best.

Q: My spouse and I are having marital problems. Could this be related to my ADHD?

A: Yes. The rate of divorce is two times higher than the general public when one partner has ADHD. Your spouse may complain that you’re unreliable, inattentive, and constantly distracted, causing a host of conflicts. In treatment, we’ll bring your spouse in and explain the condition so he/she can understand it. We’ll also teach you how to organize and run the household more productively, which often helps to dissipate tension and improve the relationship.

Q: Will treatment really help me?

A: Adult ADHD is one of the most responsive disorders to treatment, and patients are generally very receptive to the program. ADHD sufferers may have very low self-esteem because the environment has always been critical of their unsatisfactory performance. In only six to nine months of treatment, many notice their self-image has improved tremendously. They identify themselves as smart, not lazy, and find out that they can be productive. They don’t have to muddle through life anymore. That’s when we see them blossom.

Q: I never had attention problems growing up, but recently I’ve been restless, unable to finish my work, and suddenly forgetful. Could this be ADHD?

A: Probably not. One of the main characteristics of ADHD is that it appears in childhood; most people can remember symptoms dating back to age 7 to 12. It’s not something you can catch or grow into later in life. However, you may have undiagnosed ADHD and muddle through life until your environment changes and you are presented with greater demands and responsibilities—a new job, increased academic demands, getting married, having children.

There are other considerations in evaluating a change in mental abilities: Could you be depressed about something? Are you taking any medications that may be causing these unwanted side effects? If you can’t pinpoint the cause that easily, talk to your doctor to rule out more serious medical issues.

Q: Am I ever too old for an ADHD diagnosis and treatment?

A: In our practice, we see ADHD patients ages 16 to 65. Most, if not all, patients elect to try medications to evaluate their benefit and comfort. For adults, there are medical considerations to prescribing ADHD medications that I discuss with patients. Commonly patients are taking other medications and a review of safety is needed whenever combining medications.

Why bother treating older patients who have lived their whole life with ADHD? Because everyone is entitled to see how much better they can function when relieved of ADHD symptoms.

]]> (DAVID GOODMAN, MD) <![CDATA[Treatment Options for ADHD at Any Age]]>

attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), they often respond with a feeling of relief rather than dismay. Many have struggled with symptoms since childhood, and receiving a diagnosis tends to place their life experiences in perspective: So that’s why I had such a hard time concentrating in school. And, even better, now they can get treatment.

Luckily for these adults, recognizing ADHD and getting an official diagnosis may be the hardest part. Unlike treatments for some other neurobehavioral disorders, such as autism, the treatments for ADHD are usually manageable and effective, and they may begin to work right away.

"Adult ADHD is one of the most responsive disorders to treatment, and patients are generally very receptive to the program," says David W. Goodman, MD, director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland and assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

"ADHD sufferers may have very low self-esteem because the environment has always been critical of their unsatisfactory performance," he adds. "In only six to nine months of treatment, many notice that their self-image has improved tremendously."

Next Page: Medication and talk therapy

Medications
Prescription medication is typically the cornerstone of ADHD treatment, especially for adults. The most commonly prescribed drugs for adult ADHD are stimulants, such as Adderall and Concerta. (The best known ADHD stimulant, Ritalin, is not officially approved for use in adults but is often prescribed to them off-label.) Side effects are generally slight and temporary, although there is some concern that the risk of cardiovascular problems associated with stimulant use may be greater in adults than in children.

Because of the psychoactive effect of stimulants, which can include feelings of euphoria, there is always the possibility of dependence and even abuse. In 2002, the FDA approved the first nonstimulant drug for ADHD, atomoxetine (known by its brand name, Strattera). Though some experts claim it is less effective than stimulants at managing the symptoms of ADHD, Strattera appears to be resistant to abuse and safe and effective for long-term use.

Talk therapy
Medication is invaluable for controlling the most pressing symptoms of ADHD, but the emerging consensus is that successfully managing the disorder over the long term—because there is no “cure” for ADHD—also requires learning a set of behaviors and techniques to minimize its secondary effects: low self-esteem, troubled relationships, poor organization, and so on.

Experts say that therapy for people with ADHD should be focused and highly structured. The most widely used form of therapy for ADHD is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of short-term therapy that is geared toward teaching everyday coping strategies rather than analyzing a person’s psyche. Though the research on the subject is somewhat thin, CBT has been shown to produce results in adults with ADHD. In a 2002 study, a group of adults with ADHD who received eight weeks of cognitive therapy (some were also on medication) was matched with a comparable group who received no therapy. The therapy group reported a greater improvement in ADHD symptoms than the control group did, and, after a year, the symptoms of those who received therapy had decreased by 50%.

Opinions vary on whether talk therapy is better suited to adults or children with ADHD. Some experts maintain that talk therapy is more effective in children, but the little research that exists on the subject suggests that cognitive-behavioral approaches may be especially effective in adults, who are likely to be more aware of their thinking patterns (and how to change them).

Next Page: Alternative and high-tech treatments

Alternative and high-tech treatments
An Internet search for ADHD treatments will turn up plenty of home remedies, special diets, and alternative medicine options, many that promise results that sound too good to be true—and that's because they are. Adults often shy away from the idea of taking medication on a daily basis, or worse, giving it to their children who have been diagnosed with ADHD. But unfortunately, most alternative medicine treatments have not been shown to be effective for this disorder.

An innovative treatment known as neurofeedback has become more prominent in recent years.

So-called brain games, video games that respond to a player’s brain waves, have been designed as a way to condition behavior in people with ADHD. Players wear a special helmet that gauges electrical activity in the brain and sends the information to a computer and game controller. In order to play the game successfully, the player must force himself to relax and stay focused, a state which corresponds to a type of brain wave that is underactive in people with ADHD. (While playing a racing game, for instance, becoming too excited or distracted will cause the on-screen car to slow down or crash.) Learning to control this brain activity, the thinking goes, will allow the player to apply the same technique away from the game machine.

Little research into the effectiveness of neurofeedback for ADHD has been conducted. While some studies have shown that it can help improve behavioral symptoms, most experts do not recommend it as a stand-alone treatment.

]]> Your doctor may recommend a combination of medication and therapy to treat ADHD. (123RF)