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Parent-Focused ADHD Intervention Recommended by the EAGG COVID-19 Guidelines
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are experiencing “considerably greater” challenges than children without ADHD during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing the need for caretakers and clinicians to use parent-focused intervention strategies, researchers wrote in The Lancet regarding the new European ADHD Guidelines Group (EAGG) recommendations.
Samuele Cortese, MD, PhD, Center for Innovation in Mental Health, University of Southampton and Solent NHS Trust, United Kingdom, and researchers broke down the guidance on the assessment and management of ADHD during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Caretakers and families of children with ADHD should use behavioral parenting strategies “because they improve parenting and have beneficial effects in reducing oppositional defiant and disruptive behavior, which is common in ADHD,” researchers wrote. When face-to-face treatment is not possible, EAGG guidelines recommend parents to use self-help versions of evidence-based systems but urges caution before paying for untested applications.
COVID-19 Negatively Impacted Mental Health in Children with ADHD
The confinement caused by the pandemic has increased stress and the need for crisis management. Other than those prescribed by a clinician, parents and caretakers should avoid increasing doses or adding doses when this occurs.
“Similarly, the use of antipsychotic medications to manage disruptive behavior or the use of sedatives when not clinically indicated should be avoided,” wrote Cortese et al. “Given that family confinement and physical distancing might exacerbate ADHD-related risks, we see no strong rationale to introduce weekend drug holidays during the current crisis.”
When discussing sleep disruption, researchers indicate that symptoms can be caused by effects from the pandemic such as stress, late-morning waking, and routine deviations, not just as a side effect of psychostimulant treatment.
“Appropriate sleep hygiene should be implemented or reinforced in preference to increasing the doses of melatonin beyond the therapeutic range (up to 5–6 mg each night).
“In summary, COVID-19 and the related physical distancing measures are presenting many challenges for children, young people, and their families, and these challenges are likely to be considerably greater for those with ADHD,” researchers concluded. “It will therefore be important to draw upon the strategies routinely recommended in parent-focused ADHD interventions, as well as mental-well-being interventions for children and young people.”
—Meagan Thistle
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