A randomized controlled trial tested talk therapy for adults whose ADHD symptoms continued even though they were taking medication. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital enrolled 86 adults who met criteria for ADHD that began in childhood and were stable on medication but still had meaningful symptoms. The adults ranged in age from 18 to 65, just over half were men (55.8%), and most were White (90.7%). Half were assigned to 12 individual sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy, a structured form of talk therapy. The other half got the same amount of time in relaxation training with educational support.
After treatment, raters who did not know which therapy each person had received scored the cognitive behavioral therapy group lower on ADHD symptoms, a moderate difference (d=0.60). More people in that group improved enough to count as responders on a clinician-rated measure (53% vs 23%) and on a symptom rating scale (67% vs 33%). Among those who responded fully or partly to cognitive behavioral therapy, the gains held steady through follow-up at 6 and 12 months.
The trial only included adults already taking medication, and only the one-on-one format was tested. The authors suggest this therapy may be a useful next step for adults who still have ADHD symptoms despite medication treatment.
Source: Safren S, Sprich S, Mimiaga M, et al.. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Relaxation With Educational Support for Medication-Treated Adults With ADHD and Persistent Symptoms. JAMA (2010). doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1192