Mental Health

Parent Training Along With Medications May Help Kids With Aggression

By Kamal Nayan | Update Date: Sep 12, 2014 02:20 PM EDT

Combination of two medications with parent training could help improve anger, irritability and violent tendencies in children, according to a new study. 

The study rated 'augmented' therapy consisting of stimulant and antipsychotic drugs, along with parent training in behavioral management techniques more effective than basic therapy. 

"An important finding of this study was that at the end of nine weeks, approximately half of all children receiving basic therapy were still rated by their parents as being impaired... with symptoms interfering with school or social functioning," said study author Kenneth Gadow, a professor of psychiatry at Stony Brook University in New York, in the press release.

"In the augmented group receiving three interventions for aggression, about one-quarter still, at the end of nine weeks, were rated by their parents as being impaired," he added. "And that suggests, even with highly effective therapies, that many of these children still have unmet treatment needs."

U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention data suggests that approximately 11 percent of American children aged 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD. The condition includes symptoms such as impulsivity, hyperactivity and difficulty focusing and controlling behavior. 

The study was published in the September issue of the Journal of The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 

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