ADHD Treatment: Behavior Therapy Is Preferable To ADHD Medication, According To CDC

Some families and health care givers focus too much on giving drugs and medications to kids who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and not enough on behavior modification therapy for ADHD treatment. But according to U.S. health officials, behavior therapy for 2 to 5-years-old children with ADHD is better than giving them ADHD medication.

ADHD and #Exercise - on #PEScholar at https://t.co/G5rMPrXN2W

— PE Scholar (@PEScholar) May 3, 2016

"Behavior therapy has been shown to help improve symptoms in young children with ADHD and can be as effective as medicine, but without the side effects," U.S. CDC principal deputy director Dr. Anne Schuchat told the media via Philly.com. She also noted that research has shown that the positive results of behavior therapy can last for many years.

Another advantage of using behavior modification therapy for ADHD treatment is that it does not have side effects. Some of the side effects of using ADHD medication include sleeping problems, loss of appetite, delayed growth, headaches, stomach pain, irritability when meds wear off, tics and moodiness, according to the Child Mind Institute.

1/3 of children w/ ADHD are diagnosed b/w 2-5 yrs old. Behavior therapy is the rec. first step for them. #VitalSigns https://t.co/sdIvOUYCpT — CDC (@CDCgov) May 3, 2016

Over 6 million American kids have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and approximately 2 million of those children are diagnosed before the age of 6. ADHD symptoms include hyperactivity, impulsiveness, restlessness and short attention span.

Aside from focusing more on behavior modification therapy and less on ADHD medication, the CDC also suggest that health care providers should work closely with families in order to provide the best method of ADHD treatment for children. Families and health care givers should always discuss behavior modification therapy first before talking about ADHD medication.