Lessons Learnt for Group Analysis from a Group for Adults with Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Group treatment is beneficial for adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and recommended by NICE. The extant literature suggests that short-term cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is beneficial for adult ADHD rather than short-term group analytic treatment. Whilst (short-term) CBT and (short-term) specialized psychotherapeutic analysis differ, there are commonalities between these approaches with regard to client selection, preparation with a circumscribed focus, ‘manualised’ treatment groups in the here-and-now, engaging group members and the group, facilitating and maintaining a group structure, pursuing the goal of therapy and paying attention to termination of the group. Hence, I suggest that both approaches can learn from each other. In this article, I shall describe a 12-week structured CBT group for adults with ADHD, which was developed and subsequently evaluated by using qualitative content analysis. I shall then explore what lessons can be learnt from this experience for specialized (applied) group analysis. In so doing, I hope that group analysts will conduct and evaluate groups for this client group on a larger scale, so that the effectiveness of short-term group analytic groups can be established as well as key ingredients for therapeutic change delineated. In this way, group analysis can contribute also to current conceptualization of ADHD and counter stigma attached to this label.