Person-centered Yoga Therapeutic Approach for Adult Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder

Background: ADHD affects 2.5% to 5% of the adult population, is often under-diagnosed and poorly managed with few treatment options. Limited pharmacotherapeutic options are available, and many patients and clinicians are reluctant to use them for fear of side effects or concerns about substance abuse liability. Very limited psychotherapeutic options are available for ADHD. Cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBTg) is the only approach with some preliminary promising results, however there is no individual CBT option for this population. Objectives: There is a growing popularity of yoga as a therapeutic technique in psychiatric disorders and it may offer distinct advantages for adult ADHD. The objectives of this paper is to discuss the benefit of yoga as a person-centered individualized intervention for adults with ADHD. Methods: We discuss the therapeutic utility of a more encompassing and systematic application of yoga practices, including their physical and philosophical, meditative and spiritual aspects to address the symptoms of ADHD and to enhance wellness through lifelong growth and skill building yoga for adults with ADHD. We also present a systematic comparison between yoga practices and the standard CBTg therapy to demonstrate that the proposed yoga intervention is able to address ADHD symptoms areas targeted by CBTg. Results: Intervention based on a systematic application of yoga practices may offer targeted interventions to match ADHD patients’ symptoms and needs and compares positively with CBTg. Furthermore, yoga therapy may be superior to CBTg in terms of convenience, person-centeredness and individualized care. Conclusions: Yoga may offer a valuable option to meet patients’ needs by integrating both physical and philosophical aspects to dynamically targeting specific areas of emotional, behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions as well as the hyperactivity symptoms.