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Drug treatment for ADHD patients
Back to the document's frontpageWhether outpatient or inpatient, drug treatment programs for ADHD patients can offer effective treatment.
Therapy available for ADHD-related substance abuse
The therapies as offered need to be presented in an optimal manner for this group of recovering addicts, and often drug treatment for ADHD patients will take longer and require more intensive intervention than is normally mandated. Because ADHD symptoms seem to increase the risks of substance abuse behaviors, the management of ADHD symptoms is also necessary for relapse avoidance and long term sobriety
The therapies and programming as offered at any drug treatment facility can be beneficial for this group of dual diagnosis patients, but therapies need to be offered with an awareness of the limitations of ADHD patients, and therapeutic sessions may need to be altered slightly, using diverse presentation methods and less focused classroom time, to offer the best results.
Group therapies have proven very effective in drug treatment for ADHD patients. For best effect, these cognitive behavioral groups and support style therapy sessions should be offered in a homogenous group of other ADHD substance abusing patients; but if this is not possible, ADHD patients in drug treatment do benefit from inclusion into any peer group therapies.
Drug treatment for ADHD patients should also include a strong individual therapeutic component, and ADHD patients in drug treatment need to work with an addictions professional to develop an individualized and comprehensive relapse prevention plan.
