Hypnosis Offers Benefits in the Treatment of ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a very common disorder among children. The traditional form of treating ADHD is medication and psychotherapy. However, every person with ADHD is different and a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be taken in treating the disorder. Research has been conducted using alternative therapies including hypnotherapy. Hypnosis has been found to help people with ADHD focus, concentrate, and control stressful situations.
The symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Researchers are unsure what causes ADHD, which makes treating the disorder problematic. There are approximately 17 medications approved for use in treating children with ADHD. These medications come with negative side effects including decreased appetite, insomnia, irritability, and anxiety.
Other forms of treatment that contain no side effects include psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and hypnotherapy. These forms of therapy help children change their behavior and help them realize that they can be in control over their actions. Therapy requires a network of support from therapists, parents, and teachers (National Institute of Mental Health).
A literature review was performed on numerous ADHD studies. The researcher found that ADHD is very complex when looking at symptoms, treatments, social development, and academic achievement. It is important that more than just the children be involved with treatment; educators, parents, and evaluators must be educated on the disorder. The review concluded that alternative therapies such as hypnosis and neurotherapy are very successful at controlling ADHD symptoms (Carbonell, (2003).
Barabasz and Barabasz (1999) found that ADHD is often over-diagnosed because its symptoms are often found in other disorders and the most common form of treatment is with drugs that are laden with side effects. More research is needed to both diagnose and treat ADHD. The researchers also found that active-alert hypnosis used with neurotherapy is a promising form of ADHD treatment.
These studies show that ADHD is a very complex disorder to diagnose accurately and to treat properly. More research is being conducted using alternative therapies because medications used to treat ADHD have been found to have many negative side effects. For some unknown reason, as children with ADHD get older, their symptoms decrease. This points to treating ADHD with alternative therapy as being more beneficial with more lasting results.
Hypnotherapy allows children with ADHD to gain focus, concentration, attentiveness, and control over their ADHD symptoms without the negative side effects of pharmaceuticals. Drugs only cover up the problem without actually treating the problem. Therapy is the best way to gain control over ADHD.