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| |  DG DISPATCH - AACAP: Behavioral Intervention Decreases Need For Medication In AD/HD Children By Lara Pullen Special to DG News CHICAGO, IL -- October 26, 1999 -- Various treatment interventions including stimulants (methylphenidate (MPH): Ritalin) and parent training have proven successful in achieving short-term reduction in the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactive disorder (AD/HD) in children. A new study suggests that intensive behavioral therapy may result in lower levels of medication being prescribed by physicians.
At the 46th annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Laurence L. Greenhill, of the National Institute of Health’s Multimodal Treatments Study of AD/HD Cooperative Group, presented the results of 14 months of naturalistic observation of children receiving combined behavioral and pharmaceutical therapy. The objective of the study was to determine if the mean MPH dose used in the study’s medication management condition (Medmgt) was similar to the mean dose used for its multimodal combined (Comb) condition. The Medmgt group received medication only and the Comb group received medication plus intensive behavioral intervention. The 549 children enrolled in the study were between the ages of seven and nine and were diagnosed with AD/HD combined subtype. Children in the Comb group ended the 12-month maintenance at a 22 percent lower dose of MPH when compared with those in the Medmgt group. The Medmgt group received more dose increases over the course of the study and ultimately higher doses of medication when compared with the Comb group. The researchers concluded that behavioral intervention appears to be beneficial when used in conjunction with medication.
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