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Time managementPaper

A self-help ADHD programme may cut symptoms and improve organising

HelpedThe short version

Adults with ADHD who worked through the self-help book reported fewer symptoms than the waiting group.

A bearded man sits on his bed beside an open book, moving folded shirts from a heap onto a neat stack on a chair.
35
adults with ADHD in Sydney
Randomised
groups picked at random
Self-rated
people rated themselves
2 tools
tested

The study

  1. Who took part

    35 adults with ADHD took part: 17 in the programme group and 18 on the waiting list, all recruited in Sydney, Australia. There were 22 men and 13 women, and both groups averaged about 39 years old.

  2. What they did

    The programme group read a self-help book on ADHD, organising, listening, controlling impulses, and handling anger and self-esteem. Over eight weeks they had three therapist sessions, and a support person phoned weekly to check their reading and exercises. The waiting list started after eight weeks.

  3. What happened

    The programme group's symptoms and organising improved more than the waiting group's. At the end, 47% had cut their symptoms by a third, and 36% still had that at two months. The authors call changes in self-esteem and anger relatively small, and symptom and organising gains held at two months.

What the study found

  1. HelpedOther outcomes

    Adults with ADHD who worked through the self-help book reported fewer symptoms than the waiting group.

    Small randomised trial of 35 adults with ADHD in Sydney · vs people on a waiting list for eight weeks · they rated themselves · ⚠ summary claims more than the results show

  2. HelpedTime management

    Adults with ADHD who worked through the self-help book had better organising skills than the waiting group.

    Small randomised trial of 35 adults with ADHD in Sydney · vs people on a waiting list for eight weeks · they rated themselves · ⚠ summary claims more than the results show

  3. No comparisonOther outcomes

    Adults who finished more of the reading and exercises also tended to have bigger drops in ADHD symptoms.

    Small randomised trial of 35 adults with ADHD in Sydney · no comparison group · they rated themselves · ⚠ summary claims more than the results show

How solid is this?

  • Groups picked at random
  • Small group
  • People rated themselves
  • Summary claims more than the results show

Source

A Self-directed Psychosocial Intervention with Minimal Therapist Contact for Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (2003)

DOI: 10.1002/cpp.356

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