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Meta-Analysis
. 2010 Jun 16;2010(6):CD006507.
doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006507.pub2.

Meditation therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Thawatchai Krisanaprakornkit  1 , Chetta Ngamjarus, Chartree Witoonchart, Nawanant Piyavhatkul
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Meditation therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Thawatchai Krisanaprakornkit et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. .

Abstract

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common developmental disorders experienced in childhood and can persist into adulthood. The disorder has early onset and is characterized by a combination of overactive, poorly modulated behavior with marked inattention. In the long term it can impair academic performance, vocational success and social-emotional development. Meditation is increasingly used for psychological conditions and could be used as a tool for attentional training in the ADHD population.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of meditation therapies as a treatment for ADHD.

Search strategy: Our extensive search included: CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, C2-SPECTR, dissertation abstracts, LILACS, Virtual Health Library (VHL) in BIREME, Complementary and Alternative Medicine specific databases, HSTAT, Informit, JST, Thai Psychiatric databases and ISI Proceedings, plus grey literature and trial registries from inception to January 2010.

Selection criteria: Randomized controlled trials that investigated the efficacy of meditation therapy in children or adults diagnosed with ADHD.

Data collection and analysis: Two authors extracted data independently using a pre-designed data extraction form. We contacted study authors for additional information required. We analyzed data using mean difference (MD) to calculate the treatment effect. The results are presented in tables, figures and narrative form.

Main results: Four studies, including 83 participants, are included in this review. Two studies used mantra meditation while the other two used yoga compared with drugs, relaxation training, non-specific exercises and standard treatment control. Design limitations caused high risk of bias across the studies. Only one out of four studies provided data appropriate for analysis. For this study there was no statistically significant difference between the meditation therapy group and the drug therapy group on the teacher rating ADHD scale (MD -2.72, 95% CI -8.49 to 3.05, 15 patients). Likewise, there was no statistically significant difference between the meditation therapy group and the standard therapy group on the teacher rating ADHD scale (MD -0.52, 95% CI -5.88 to 4.84, 17 patients). There was also no statistically significant difference between the meditation therapy group and the standard therapy group in the distraction test (MD -8.34, 95% CI -107.05 to 90.37, 17 patients).

Authors' conclusions: As a result of the limited number of included studies, the small sample sizes and the high risk of bias, we are unable to draw any conclusions regarding the effectiveness of meditation therapy for ADHD. The adverse effects of meditation have not been reported. More trials are needed.

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Conflict of interest statement

TK runs the Meditation Therapy Clinic for various types of patients at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

TK is conducting a randomized controlled trial 'Breathing meditation with methylphenidate for the treatment of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder children', which is registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov (Krisanaprakornkit 2008).

There are no potential conflict of interest for the other authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Methodological quality graph: review authors' judgments about each methodological quality item presented as percentages across all included studies.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Methodological quality summary: review authors' judgments about each methodological quality item for each included study.
Analysis 1.1
Analysis 1.1
Comparison 1 Meditation therapy versus drug therapy, Outcome 1 Teacher rating ADHD overall scale.
Analysis 2.1
Analysis 2.1
Comparison 2 Meditation therapy versus standard treatment without drug, Outcome 1 Teacher rating ADHD scale.
Analysis 2.2
Analysis 2.2
Comparison 2 Meditation therapy versus standard treatment without drug, Outcome 2 Distraction test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Update of

  • doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006507

References

References to studies included in this review

    1. Haffner J, Roos J, Goldstein N, Parzer P, Resch F. The effectiveness of body‐oriented methods of therapy in the treatment of attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): results of a controlled pilot study [Zur Wirksamkeit körperorientierter Therapieverfahren bei der Behandlung hyperaktiverStörungen: Ergebnisse einer kontrollierten Pilotstudie]. Zeitschrift für Kinder und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie 2006;34(1):34‐47. - PubMed
    1. Jensen PS, Kenny DT. The effects of yoga on the attention and behavior of boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Journal of Attention Disorders 2004;7(4):205‐16. - PubMed
    1. Kratter J. The use of meditation in the treatment of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Department of Psychology ...1983.
    1. Moretti‐Altuna GE. The effects of meditation versus medication in the treatment of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Department of Psychology ...1987.

References to studies excluded from this review

    1. Abadi MS, Madgaonkar J, Venkatesan S. Effect of Yoga on Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. National Academy of Psychology 2008;53(2):154‐9.
    1. Evans BT. Mindfulness meditation as an intervention for adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A dissertation presented to the faculty of the California School of Prof...2007.
    1. Harrison LJ, Manocha R, Rubia K. Sahaja yoga meditation as a family treatment programme for children with attention deficit‐hyperactivity disorder. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2004;9(4):479‐97.
    1. Hassasiri A, Dhammakhanto K, Wongpunya S. Manual of meditation and imagery training for attention deficit children: age 5‐11. 8th International Congress of Department of Mental Health, Thailand. 2002:171‐2.
    1. Kratter J, Hagan JD. The use of meditation in the treatment of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. Educational Resources Information Center at http://www.eric.ed.gov/1982.

References to ongoing studies

    1. Breathing meditation with methylphenidate for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. www.ClinicalTrials.gov (accessed 1 February 2010).

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