Psychotherapeutic therapy for ADHD

Synonyms in a broader sense

Attention Deficit Syndrome, Fidget - Philipp Syndrome, Fidgety Philipp, Psycho-Organic Syndrome (POS), Hyperkinetic Syndrome (HKS), ADHD, Fidgety Phil, ADHD. Attention Deficit Syndrome, Psycho-Organic Syndrome (POS), ADD, Attention - Deficit - Disorder, minimal brain syndrome, behavioral disorder with attention and concentration disorder, attention deficit disorder, ADS, Attention deficit disorder, dreamer, “Hans-peep-in-the-air”, dreamers.

Definition and description

People who suffer from attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity, or a mixture of both, all have variable, sometimes below-average power of concentration and attention.
In addition to the actual symptoms. which can lead to serious problems, often other learning problems also become noticeable. Examples are the Reading and writing difficulties and / or the Arithmetic weakness mentioned. These problems can also occur if the child is gifted.

The aim of every diagnosis is not to give the abnormalities of the child's behavior a name, but to work on the actual problem areas so that the symptomatic behavior is reduced and a “normal” approach to the environment is possible. If the diagnosis of ADHD has been made, it does not mean that one can rest on it. Rather, the opposite is true. It is important to adjust to the problems by means of multi-layered therapy (= multimodal therapy) in order to work out the best possible way of dealing with the clinical picture.

The aim of every diagnosis is therefore to create an individual therapy plan as seamlessly as possible, which specifically adjusts the different forms of therapy to the individual symptoms. A distinction is made between:

  1. the possibilities offered by drug therapy.
  2. the various forms of psychotherapeutic treatment
  3. the various therapeutic educational forms of therapy
  4. the alternative therapy concepts, such as various forms of diet, nutritional therapeutic measures, or else
  5. newer therapeutic approaches, such as neurofeedback (EEG - Biofeedbach)

find suitable therapies!

Since the parents and thus also the family bear the main responsibility for a child, it is important that parents are included in the therapy and that the individual measures taken are also given substantial support at home. So much importance is attached to the support of the ADD child in the domestic area, because every therapy reaches its limits when parts of the upbringing “don't go along with it”. In addition, we also know that an inconsistent parenting style cannot be made responsible for the development of ADHD, but that such a parenting style has a significant influence on the way it is developed.Upbringing should generally be viewed holistically and the closer everyone involved in upbringing works together, the better it will be.

It is not possible to make a general assessment of which therapy components can be categorized as particularly advantageous. Rather, it must be based on the individual circumstances. The symptoms and the individual initial situation (family environment, etc.) provide important information on which the therapy is ultimately based. ADHD therapy therefore varies from child to child. All therapy areas do not always have to be used. To do this, contact your treating doctor with confidence, who can provide more detailed information on the individual fit. The list does not claim to be complete.

The ADHD is a complex disease that is still not understood in all areas. Therefore, the treatment approaches are diverse, in some parts even fundamentally opposing.
Dr. Nicolas Gumpert In his book he tried to explain all aspects of ADHD in an understandable way for parents and to show the various therapy options.

Psychotherapeutic forms of treatment

The aim of psychotherapeutic forms of treatment is to treat psychological and emotional behavior disorders with the help of classic psychological forms of therapy. Generally described, they are aimed at treating the soul and include various measures and methods, such as

  • depth psychological,
  • behavioral or therapeutic
  • systemic forms of treatment.

Below you will find further information on the different forms of treatment.

Depth psychological forms of treatment

As a further development from the ideas of Sigmund Freud, C.G. Jung (= Carl Gustav Jung) and Alfred Adlers, depth psychology is thus also a further development of psychoanalysis, analytical psychology and individual psychology, through which forms and techniques of treatment emerged that are mainly used when there are conflicts (disorders) in the (child) development occur and negatively affect the relationship between people and one another.

With regard to ADHD, this means that the child's behavior is closely observed and causally questioned in order to explain and understand behavior patterns. Typical behavior patterns that have a negative effect on child development and the environment should not only be recognized but also questioned and replaced by alternative (more positive) behavior patterns using various depth psychological forms of treatment.
Established behavior patterns are not always easy to analyze and, as a rule, cannot be changed from now on. Depth psychology assumes that the outwardly shown behavior is triggered or partly caused by unresolved (internal) conflicts. A well-thought-out therapy that is carried out in a targeted manner is therefore required which, in a special way, does not neglect the psychological life of the person and takes into account any unresolved conflicts.

You can find further information on the forms of treatment and the subject of depth psychology here: Depth psychology.

Behavior therapy

In contrast to depth psychology, which also allows the human soul to play a major role, at the behavioral therapeutic level one starts out from the outwardly visible behavior.
ADHD - typical symptoms and ADHD - typical behaviors are analyzed and an attempt is made to change them using various methods.

Various methods are available for this, depending on the therapeutic focus. In the meantime, fundamental directions can be distinguished from one another. These are:

  • The classic behavior therapy
  • Cognitive therapy and
  • Cognitive behavior therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy is the link between classic behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy.
Both perception and thinking and the resulting behavioral patterns play a major role in this form of therapy. In order to connect both the motor, the cognitive and the physical-emotional area in a special way, she uses various methods (techniques):

  1. The technique of operant conditioning
  2. The technique of problem solving training
  3. The technique of self management training
  4. The technique of social skills training, as well
  5. various relaxation methods, such as yoga, autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson (PMR)

Here you will find further information on the subject of cognitive behavioral therapy: cognitive behavioral therapy.

Systemic forms of therapy

Family therapy

The concept of systemic forms of therapy encompasses all basic therapy methods that aim to clarify and resolve interpersonal relationships.

This means that systemic forms of therapy, which were developed in the 50's of the last century and have been continuously developed since then, particularly address and try to solve problem areas in families, at work, between friends, etc.

With regard to the therapy of ADHD, systemic family therapies are used in particular, as the family is stressed in a special way and this stressful situation in turn creates conflicts that can negatively influence the therapy of the ADHD child. Systemic family therapy in the case of ADHD therefore also tries in a special way to change negative influences that “stand in the way” of the child's therapy.

In other words, systemic family therapy in this case not only sees the symptoms typical of ADHD as a disease of the child, but also ascribes an important role to the child's situation within the family with regard to the symptomatic development of ADHD. As an example, an inconsistent parenting style could be cited here, which, although it cannot be primarily held responsible for the development of ADHD, can, however, have a strong negative impact on the situation.
The declared aim of such systemic family therapy is to pick up on established and ingrained behavior patterns of all family members and, if necessary, to redesign them so that an improvement in interpersonal relationships can be achieved.
To achieve this, it is important that family members put themselves in the shoes of others in order to question other people's situations, mindsets and behavior.
This is usually done by depicting a typical family situation, for example by using dolls. From this situation one tries to draw conclusions about the roles within the family as well as about feelings, attitudes and ways of thinking.

Other forms of therapy

  1. The drug therapy of ADHD: Medication ADHD
  2. ADHD and curative educational forms of therapy: ADHD curative education
  3. The possibilities of a therapeutic supplement by changing the diet in ADHD with their different possibilities.
  4. ADHD and Homeopathy
  5. ADHD and the support from: ADHD and Family

The therapy options mentioned complement each other in many ways. The treating physician or treating therapist can decide together with you which forms can be combined with each other in individual cases. It is important that the individual symptoms are taken as a starting point and a decision is made.

Other ADHD issues

  • ADHD
  • ADHD causes
  • ADHD symptoms
  • ADHD diagnosis
  • ADHD therapy
    • ADHD curative education
      • ADHD psychotherapy
      • Depth psychology
      • Behavior therapy
      • yoga
      • Autogenic training
    • ADHD medication
      • Methylphenidate
      • Ritalin
      • Antidepressants
    • ADHD diet
    • ADHD and the family
    • Educational games

Related topics

  • ADS
  • Poor concentration
  • Reading and spelling weaknesses / dyslexia
  • Arithmetic weakness / dyscalculia
  • Giftedness

A list of all topics that we have published under our "Problems with Learning" page can be found under: Problems with Learning A-Z