Drake Institute feedback?

[DocFranco]

I heard & read about the drake institute on thier website @ drakeinstitute.com and wondered if anybody from the boards had any contact/ experiance with them? thanks

[catatonic]

We haven't used the Drake Institute, but its treatment methodology is one I've read up on because it shows a great deal of potential. Very little notice has been taken of it in mainstream medical circles, but the alternative journals have been reporting increasingly on the topic.

The Drake Institute uses biofeedback to treat the symptoms of ADHD. If you take a look at the research on biofeedback treatment, it's promising but not conclusive, and most of the studies are pretty methodologically lame. Insurance companies consider it an "unproven" treatment and will not cover the cost of biofeedback sessions, which can be substantial. On the other hand, it is absolutely free of side effects and so carries no risk that you will do greater harm in the process of treating.

The March 2003 issue of "Applied Psychophysiological Biofeedback" (a small journal with an obvious pro-biofeedback bias) contained results from a study in which 12 children were given Ritalin and 22 treated with biofeedback. Experiment lasted 3 months, and researchers concluded that biofeedback gains were equal to those seen with the Ritalin.

An earlier issue of the same journal (Dec 2002) reported on a year-long study where some participants were given Ritalin and parenting interventions, while the other group was given Ritalin, parenting interventions and biofeedback. All of them showed significant gains. However, when the Ritalin was removed, ONLY those who'd received biofeedback as well were able to sustain their behavioral improvements. 40% were able to give up the meds completely. Those who'd been on Ritalin and had it withdrawn showed regression to their "pre-treatment" behavior.

Believe it or not, you can implement a " Do-it-yourself" biofeedback program at home. I have no idea how effective this is, but I found the whole concept interesting, especially considering it costs about a tenth as much as a course of treatments at a center. You might want to take a look at this website: www.adhd-biofeedback.com/

Dr. Vincent Monastra is really the pioneer of this form of treatment for ADHD. He's also the author of the two articles above. If you want to read about his research in his own words, it's here: www.psychologyclinic.com/press_4.htm

He is located at the Attention Disorders Clinic in Endicott, NY and can be contacted at 607-785-0400 or [e-mail].

If you go the biofeedback route, I hope you'll post your results, because I'd love to have a first-hand account of how it works and whether it works.