Stimulant medications are commonly recommended to help people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder manage their symptoms. The National Institute of Mental Health says that “for many people, ADHD medications reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity and improve their ability to focus, work, and learn. Medication also may improve physical coordination.”
However, many people with ADHD are eager to explore nonmedication alternatives to treat their disorder or are interested in a complementary approach, which encompasses medication as well as methods such as mindfulness or dietary changes. The reasons for this vary and may include concerns about medication safety or simply the desire to focus on natural methods. “Under medical supervision, stimulant medications are considered safe,” NIMH notes. “However, there are risks and side effects, especially when misused or taken in excess of the prescribed dose.”
[See: 8 Things You Didn’t Know About Counseling.]
Ari Tuckman, a clinical psychologist with a private practice in West Chester, Pennsylvania, who is also a co-chair for CHADD’s national ADHD conference, agrees that ADHD meds are safe. Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a nonprofit organization dedicated to “improve the lives of people affected by ADHD.” Tuckman says that medication to treat the disorder has been around for decades and has largely proven effective and safe. Still, he says people may be inclined to try other treatment methods, indicating that it’s usually because ADHD isn’t well understood in the first place or because parents may be hesitant to have their child take stimulants. “When people have reservations about stimulants,” he says, “they tend to focus on the risks, but what people don’t often focus on is the question of ‘What are the risks of not treating ADHD sufficiently?'” At the same time, he says that it’s a person’s prerogative to try other methods if they choose to do so.
Mindfulness
For Dr. Lidia Zylowska, a psychiatrist and mindfulness expert who authored the book, “The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD,” paying attention to thoughts and behaviors in the moment can be helpful for someone with this disorder. Zylowska, who is also a co-founding member of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center and has been featured in numerous publications for her related research, says that mindfulness can help “ADHD on multiple levels.”
For starters, Zylowska says mindfulness is beneficial because it “can be practiced in daily life,” which she says makes it “ADHD-friendly.” It’s not a formal technique, she explains, so it can be practiced at any given time, allowing people to “check in with themselves in the present moment.”
“It’s all about asking where your attention is at this moment,” she says, adding that mindfulness usually has two basic steps: attention and attitude. Attention involves acknowledging thoughts and feelings as they’re currently occurring such as breathing or tightness in the stomach. The other step, attitude, has to do with “being open and curious.” Of the latter, Zylowska says it’s important to not push feelings away and to instead come to terms with them. For example, a person might try sitting at a desk for a few moments and focus on the sounds around him or her. “Sit a moment and see what happens,” she says. She also suggests doing this with food by noting the various textures, tastes and smells.
Ultimately, mindfulness helps reduce stress by “disconnecting from the busy mind and developing an awareness where attention can be redirected at will,” which she says may be beneficial for people with ADHD. Those struggling with impulsivity may especially benefit, she says, because mindfulness can help increase self-awareness and decrease reactive or hasty behaviors.
[See: Hoarding, ADHD, Narcissism: Inside the Minds of History’s Great Personalities.]
Furthermore, mindfulness can also involve self-compassion training. “There’s a lot of negativity surrounding ADHD,” she says. “This can lead to self-doubt, so it’s helpful to become mindful of strengths and to celebrate them. Thinking in terms of ‘this is how I am and how my brain works’ and celebrating areas of mastery can be empowering.”
Cinema Therapy
Then there’s Ally McBeal or the Incredible Hulk.
Thinking about a relatable superhero or movie or television character may help someone with ADHD, says Lisa Bahar, a licensed psychotherapist with a private practice in Newport Beach, California, who often uses cinema therapy with her patients, including those with ADHD. She draws on the fact that she has a bachelor’s degree in cinema television production from the University of Southern California to help patients gain insight about their personality and disorder, saying the technique “can normalize and help illustrate ADHD behaviors.” For example, she may say, “Talk to me about movies or characters you think validate your ADHD.”
Bahar says that the character John Cage (Peter MacNicol) on the show “Ally McBeal,” for example, often turned to “self-soothing behaviors and engaged in distress-tolerance skills by observing his thoughts and then re-engaging” as he saw fit. When filled with racing thoughts and insecurities, Cage often mentally summoned singer Barry White, whose motivational songs amped up his confidence and provided inspiration. Music, therefore, may be something that Bahar suggests to an ADHD patient who relates to this character, as it might offer an emotional release. She also says it’s not unheard of for patients to relate to superheroes such as Wonder Woman or the Incredible Hulk.
Managing Stress, Getting Proper Sleep
For Kathleen Nadeau, clinical director of the Chesapeake ADHD Center of Maryland, which has satellite offices in the Baltimore and the District of Columbia area, “one of the most powerful treatment packages for ADHD” involves less stress, simplifying life, getting regular exercise, proper nutrition and adequate sleep. She says she’s a “fan of medication vacations,” explaining that while ADHD stimulants may improve focus or other ADHD symptoms, they don’t “help you develop life management skills” in the way coaching, for example, might.
[See: 10 Concerns Parents Have About Their Kids’ Health.]
Weighing Your Options
While nonmedication avenues certainly exist for people with ADHD, Tuckman encourages everyone to look at the big picture.
First, he says that lifestyle factors like sleep, diet, exercise and mindfulness “are all good for every single person, not just those with ADHD,” so it’s important not to look at those areas and refer to them as an “ADHD treatment.”
He also warns of the potential for a person with ADHD to miss out on managing symptoms while they spend time exploring nonmedicine options that may not end up as beneficial as they hoped. Tuckman says people may turn to stimulants only after time has passed — time in which ADHD challenges may have worsened or created social or professional issues. Of stimulants, he says, “there’s something to be said by starting with interventions where research shows them to be more effective and then adding in alternative or complementary therapies.”
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What Alternative Treatments Are There for Adults With ADHD to Explore? originally appeared on usnews.com
