Spiritual Discernment and Vocational Counseling Paper

Running head: EFFECT OF TREATMENTS OF ADHD

Effect of Medication and Psychotherapy on Children with Attention Deficit Disorder

Liberty University

COUN 502

08/18/10

The purpose of this research was to see the effect of medication and Psychotherapy on children with Attention Deficit Disorder and to see the most effective treatment options that are available today. Although many articles support that medication helps manage ADHD symptoms, there are many studies demonstrating that therapeutic interventions along with have medication have been more effective in helping children manage ADHD symptoms without the need of medication alone.

David is a six year old-that was referred to a child psychiatrist at his schools request. David was described as the focus of attention in his classroom because David could never sit still, always blurts out answers, had difficulty paying attention, talks excessively and often interrupts the teacher during class. Due to David’s difficulty in the classroom, he was suspended twice for a period of two months. David also has been struggling academically. David’s mother described David as an “off the wall kid”, often running around the house, jumping and climbing things. She reported that David has been displaying these behaviors since he was a toddler. According to the social worker and David’s mother, he has been displaying the following symptoms for the past eight months. This is just a scenario of what a common kid with Attention Deficit Disorder would act like. In this scenario, according to the DSM, David’s diagnosis would be “314.01 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, Predominately Hyperactive-Impulsive type due to displaying six or more of the following symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity for at least six months” (APA, 2000 p.65).

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-IV-TR), Attention Deficient Disorder is a neurobehavioral disorder of childhood. It is...