Evidence shows that children with ADHD do better and can take lower doses of stimulant medications when they receive behavioral therapy along with ADHD drugs.
“Treatment of ADHD in children generates lots of controversy, primarily because of potential for overuse and abuse of stimulant medications,” said Dr. Walid F. Gellad, the study’s lead author and an adjunct scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. “We wanted to find out among those who receive ADHD medications, how many are also receive billed psychotherapy services? The answer is few, but it actually depends on where you live.”
Using a large commercial claims database, researchers examined records of more than 300,000 children aged 17 and younger from 1,516 counties across the United States who had received a prescription for medication for ADHD. Sparsely populated counties were not included in the study. The researchers looked at how many children receive some amount of talk therapy along with medication, and also examined the supply of licensed psychologists in the counties studied.
Less than a quarter of those prescribed ADHD drugs received any talk therapy in the same year they received medication, 13 percent had at least four therapy visits and 7 percent had eight or more therapy visits. And in 200 U.S. counties, fewer than one in 10 children getting ADHD medication received any talk therapy.
“In areas of the country where rates of use are so low, it indicates that many kids with private insurance who could benefit from therapy are not receiving it.” READ MORE
If your child has ADHD contact the Pastoral Solutions Institute to learn more about how our tele-counseling practice can help you establish a behavioral system that will enable your child to develop to his or her full potential.