ADHD: Alternative Treatments Main MenuADHD MedicationsToday, the use of ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall is still the most popular treatment method for ADHD. Let's explore the adverse side effects of the medications, which are a reason alternative treatments have been gaining more attention recently.Common MisconceptionsHow YOU Can Avoid Parent ShamingThis page is designed to promote an active learning style for parents to avoid feeling shamed by media surrounding ADHD. The media often uses fear and anxiety to shame parents into trying treatments they are not comfortable with or spreading false information. I will teach you how to spot these things and avoid them!NeurofeedbackBehavior TherapyBehavior therapy is the most common alternative treatment for ADHD. It is currently recommended as a supplement to drugs but some parents believe that this treatment alone may be just as effective as a supplementation.Parent TrainingDiet RestrictionDiet restrictions are gaining popularity as an alternative treatment for ADHD. The Feingold Diet has stood out as a diet that improves behavioral issues with manipulation of diet.About MeKaty McCarthy52d4dc2d6cf99de1642c9855dd2bae6c30ec3e42
ADHD: The Fact and the Fiction
1media/background2.jpgmedia/Screen Shot 2017-04-20 at 11.50.35 AM.png2017-04-06T08:42:48-07:00Katy McCarthy52d4dc2d6cf99de1642c9855dd2bae6c30ec3e421639430This project is intended to make connections between media portrayals of ADHD and their impacts on alternative treatments such as behavioral therapy, parent training, and diet-alteration therapy.image_header2017-04-22T18:30:13-07:00Katy McCarthy52d4dc2d6cf99de1642c9855dd2bae6c30ec3e42
Welcome! My name is Katy McCarthy and I am a student studying Physiology at Michigan State University. This is my senior capstone project.
Throughout my last semester of college I have been researching different media representations of ADHD and their effects on parents and children. I am particularly interested in media representations of alternative treatments for ADHD such as neurofeedback, behavior therapy, parent training, and diet restrictions. I use both scholarly and media sources, which I have extensively categorized and studied to help you (parents) think about how they are represented in the media and if you think they may be a useful treatment for your child who struggles with ADHD or ADHD-like symptoms.
1) Teach YOU about the misconceptions surrounding alternative therapy as well as the common misconceptions associated with defining ADHD. 2) Teach YOU how to spot credible media sources. 3) Provide an understanding of four alternative therapies (neurofeedback, behavior therapy, parent training, and diet restriction). 4) Help YOU decide if your child may benefit from an alternative treatment for ADD/ADHD.
Throughout this website I will be referencing a dataset I created, which consisted of academic sources from scholarly journals and media sources, which were comprised of news broadcast, newspaper, and social media encounters with alternative treatments. I assessed 11 of these types of media by determining if various themes showed up in the article. There were 9 themes I looked for in my dataset; focus on children, the mention of parents as a source of ADHD, recommendation of medication to supplement alternative treatments, mention of mood or threats if ADHD is not treated, mention of adulthood ADHD, the usage of a chart to determine the effectiveness of the alternative treatment, a mention of the differences between how ADHD presents in boys and girls, the acknowledgement of diet as a treatment, and a mention of the controversy surrounding ADHD, its treatments, and its causes. My findings will be mentioned throughout the website.
1media/newspaper.jpg2017-04-17T15:31:33-07:00Katy McCarthy52d4dc2d6cf99de1642c9855dd2bae6c30ec3e42ADHD and Media Terminology14plain2017-04-22T07:05:19-07:00Katy McCarthy52d4dc2d6cf99de1642c9855dd2bae6c30ec3e42
12017-04-16T16:34:21-07:00Katy McCarthy52d4dc2d6cf99de1642c9855dd2bae6c30ec3e42Who Has ADHD?23Is ADHD prominent in one gender or race over the other? Find out here.plain2017-04-22T20:55:14-07:00Katy McCarthy52d4dc2d6cf99de1642c9855dd2bae6c30ec3e42