Schema and Adult ADHD

Published on July 9, 2018
APSARD Blogger

J. Russell Ramsay, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine

Below is a link to an interesting article relevant to the psychosocial treatment of adult ADHD, particularly using cognitive behavioral therapy oriented approaches. A previous blog by this writer (Core Beliefs and Adult ADHD, 03/15/2017) highlighted two preliminary studies of the incidence of maladaptive schema in adults with ADHD and their potential contribution to difficulties following through on the effective implementation of coping strategies that are known to be helpful.1,2

Drawing on these the studies, the authors of the current paper consider the clinical implications of these initial findings.3 They highlight that a focus on schema and relevant interventions should be viewed as an extension of existing CBT approaches for adult ADHD. The authors note that while providing a clinically-informed tailoring of psychosocial treatment to individual cases, this very individualization makes it more difficult, though not impossible to conduct controlled research, witness a recent randomized outcome study of a tailored case-conceptualization based CBT approach for adult ADHD.4

References
1 Miklosi, M., Máté, O., Somogyi, K., & Szabó, M. (2016). Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms, perceived stress, and well-being. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 204, 364-369. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000472
2 Philipsen, A., Lam, A. P., Breit, S., Lücke, C., Müller, H. H., & Matthies, S. (2017). Early maladaptive schemas in adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, 9, 101-111. doi: 10.1007/s12402-016-0211-8
3 Lücke, C., Lam, A. P., Müller, H. H. O., & Philipsen, A. (2017). New psychotherapeutic approaches in adult ADHD – acknowledging biographical factors. Journal of Neurology & Neuromedicine, 2(7), 6-10.
4 Dittner, A. J., Hodsoll, J., Rimes, K. A., Russell, A. J., & Chalder T. (2018) Cognitive–behavioural therapy for adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a proof of concept randomised controlled trial. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 137, 125-137. doi: 10.1111/acps.12836

Link to article reviewed above:
http://www.jneurology.com/articles/new-psychotherapeutic-approaches-in-adult-adhd–acknowledging-biographical-factors.html

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