Learning that your child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be distressing. But ADHD can be treated. And the right treatment and support can help your child behave a lot better.

• Treatments can't cure ADHD, but they should help your child behave better so that he or she can develop and learn normally.
• The two main treatments for ADHD are stimulant drugs and a talking treatment called behavioral therapy.
• Drugs such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) and dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) can help your child concentrate, feel calmer and think before acting.
• About half of all children who take stimulants have mild side effects. The main ones are trouble falling asleep and loss of appetite.
• Behavioral therapy is likely to help your child when it is combined with drug treatment. We don't know if it helps when it is used on its own.

We've carefully weighed the research and divided the treatments into categories.

• Methylphenidate: This is a stimulant and is the drug most often used for controlling the symptoms of ADHD.
• Dextroamphetamine: A stimulant drug sometimes used for controlling symptoms of ADHD.
• Methylphenidate plus behavioral therapy.

• Clonidine: Some studies have tested clonidine to see if it can control the symptoms of ADHD. It is not normally used for the treatment of ADHD in the United States.
• Behavioral therapy: Behavioral therapy helps children and their families learn to cope with and manage the behavior caused by ADHD.

The following treatments have not been studied to the same scientific standards that we use to judge other treatments on our site. But we wanted to cover these treatments because many parents are interested in them. As you read this information, keep in mind that more research is needed to say whether these treatments work.

• Vitamin and mineral supplements, and special diets: These treatments include the Feingold diet and other elimination diets, dietary supplements and vitamins. Some studies suggest that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be linked to what a child eats. But the evidence for this is not convincing.
• Other alternative treatments: These include biofeedback and visual exercises. Many alternative treatments are used to help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But there is little good-quality research on any of them. Two of the most common alternative treatments for ADHD include biofeedback and visual exercises. But we need much more research to say whether these treatments can help improve symptoms. Also, these treatments can be expensive and take up a lot of time.
• Antidepressants: These drugs are usually used to treat depression. They may also help some children with ADHD. At the moment, antidepressants are considered an experimental treatment for ADHD. This means they should be used only by doctors who specialize in treating ADHD. And they should probably be used only after other treatments haven't helped.