ADHD and Substance abuse disorders

ADHD is a disorder commonly seen in clinical practice. Myth and controversy surrounds the disorder, posing challenges to the treating healthcare professional.

ADHD is essentially a disorder of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. According to the DSM-5, symptoms must have been present prior to the age of 12 years of age, must be present in 2 or more settings, and must cause social, academic or occupational dysfunction for the diagnosis to be made.

Thus, a comprehensive history is essential in all patients. In the case of children, a collateral history from parents and/or teachers is also necessary to make an accurate diagnosis

 Read More about ADHD and Substance Abuse Disorders

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Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy supported by a large body of evidence as being an effective and powerful method to overcome anxiety. It improves quality of life by enabling a person to confront a fear and therefore cease avoiding something they feel a sense of dread about. An example here of would be a person that is terrified of dying in a plane crash. By avoiding all air travel, they successfully avoid the dreaded event but significantly decrease their quality of life. As such avoidance is utilised with the intention of controlling fear it is a defence mechanism that clients struggle to let go of as letting it go is often experienced as terrifying. Successful use of exposure therapy requires a great deal of commitment and investment from a client and sometimes it necessitates lengthier sessions too. Should the necessary commitment be present enabling a person to brave something that scares them it would then be possible to change unwanted learned responses into desired outcomes. Exposure therapy has been found hugely effective for conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, specific phobias and most presentations of anxiety provoking intrusive thoughts.

The success of exposure therapy is greatly enhanced if a threefold approach is used. When inexperienced practitioners use only one or two of theses it often does not bring about equally satisfactory results.