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BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2012

Open Access 01-12-2012 | Research article

A randomized controlled trial of CBT therapy for adults with ADHD with and without medication

Authors: Margaret Weiss, Candice Murray, Michael Wasdell, Brian Greenfield, Lauren Giles, Lily Hechtman

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2012

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Abstract

Background

Previous studies of psychological treatment in adults with ADHD have not controlled for medication status and include either medicated participants or mixed samples of medicated and unmedicated participants. The objective of this study is to examine whether use of medication improves outcome of therapy.

Method

This was a secondary analysis comparing 23 participants randomized to CBT and Dextroamphetamine vs. 25 participants randomized to CBT and placebo. Both patients and investigators were blind to treatment assignment. Two co-primary outcomes were used: ADHD symptoms on the ADHD-RS-Inv completed by the investigator and improvement in functioning as reported by the patient on the Sheehan Disability Scale.

Results

Both groups showed robust improvement in both symptoms and functioning, but the use of medication did not significantly improve outcome over and above use of CBT and placebo.

Conclusion

This study replicates previous work demonstrating that CBT is an effective treatment for ADHD in adults. Within the limits of this pilot, secondary analysis we were not able to demonstrate that medication significantly augments the outcome of CBT therapy for adults with ADHD. The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline, Clinical Trials Registry #GSK707.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
A randomized controlled trial of CBT therapy for adults with ADHD with and without medication
Authors
Margaret Weiss
Candice Murray
Michael Wasdell
Brian Greenfield
Lauren Giles
Lily Hechtman
Publication date
01-12-2012
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2012
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-12-30

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