Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treatment of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

December 7, 2017 updated by: Steven A. Safren, Massachusetts General Hospital

Efficacy of CBT for Residual ADHD in Adults

This study will determine the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy in treating adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), previously believed to be a disorder of childhood, affects as many as 5 percent of adults. Adults with ADHD are at high risk for academic and occupational underachievement, relationship difficulties, and reduced quality of life. This study will determine whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is more effective than ADHD education and relaxation techniques in treating adults with ADHD.

Participants will be randomly assigned to receive 12 to 15 weekly sessions of either CBT or training in which they will learn relaxation techniques and receive detailed information about ADHD. Questionnaires will be used to assess participants' ADHD symptoms at study entry and at study completion.

The study is being conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and requires 5 assessment visits and 12 weekly therapy visits. Participants must be able to travel to Boston on a weekly basis in order to participate in the study.

Study hypothesis: CBT is a more efficacious treatment for adult ADHD than education and relaxation techniques.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

86

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Massachusetts General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years to 61 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of adult ADHD of at least mild clinical severity (CGI score of 3 or greater)
  • Stable on medications for adult ADHD for at least 2 months
  • Between 18 and 65 years old
  • Be able to give informed consent and comply with study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Moderate to severe major depression, clinically significant panic disorder (CGI for depression or panic greater than 4), bipolar disorder, organic mental disorders, psychotic disorders, or pervasive developmental disorders
  • Active suicidality (HAM-D suicidality item rated 3 or 4)
  • Current substance abuse or dependence
  • IQ less than 90
  • Suicide risk
  • Prior participation in cognitive behavioral therapy for ADHD

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Participants will receive cognitive-behavioral therapy following our protocol.
Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Participants are provided with education about ADHD and instruction in organizational skills, reducing distractibility, and adaptive thinking.
Other Names:
  • Mastering Your Adult ADHD manual (Safren, et al., 2005)
Active Comparator: Relaxation with Educational Support
Applied relaxation plus educational support (RES).
Other: Relaxation techniques and education about ADHD
Participants are provided with education about ADHD, instruction in relaxation techniques, and support in applying relaxation techniques to ADHD symptoms.
Other Names:
  • Unpublished treatment manual (Sprich, et al., 2003)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Post-treatment ADHD Symptoms
Time Frame: post-treatment (after receiving 12 sessions of treatment)
ADHD symptom severity as measured by the ADHD rating scale (DuPaul, et al., 1998) a scale that ranges from 0-54 with 0 indicating lower severity.
post-treatment (after receiving 12 sessions of treatment)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Maintenance of Gains in CBT Condition
Time Frame: 12 month follow-up (12 months after baseline assessment)
maintenance of gains in CBT condition for those who responded or partially responded as measured by the ADHD symptom severity as measured by the ADHD rating scale (DuPaul, et al., 1998) a scale that ranges from 0-54 with 0 indicating lower severity.
12 month follow-up (12 months after baseline assessment)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Steve A. Safren, PhD, University of Miami
  • Study Director: Susan Sprich, PhD, Partners Health Organization

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2004

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2009

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 6, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 8, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

July 12, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 2, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 7, 2017

Last Verified

December 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R01MH069812 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 2003-P-000523 (Other Identifier: MGH IRB Protocol number)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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