Neurofeedback is NOT Effective for the Treatment of ADHD

[@celinapalfrey6001]

I’m 24 I have ADHD. I was diagnosed when I was seven I still continue to study my mental illness to this day. You’re an incredible doctor and I’m so glad most of my information about ADHD comes from this channel. Much respect!

[@Sieggis]

I think there's something very important you have missed while you have been studying ADHD: *It is not a mental illness.* It's part of neurodiversity. You can have mental illness comorbid while being ADHD, like: depression, anxiety disorder, OCD etc. Just so that you know 💚

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

Thank you!

[@therealavichads]

Dr. Barkley is for sure a treasure! He helped me so much too!

[@TiffTheTyrant]

@@therealavichadshe is very much a treasure. He has helped me to release some of the shame and guilt I feel about my ADHD behaviours.

[@jasonkelley4057]

I have ADHD and sought help from a psychiatrist offering Neurofeedback. I work in sales and have a very good idea what to look for when I am being sold. I questioned one of the doctors, complimented her sales strategy, she said "thank you" and I proceeded to tear her down. I do regret being a little hostile but I didn't like being taken advantage of. It seemed like a scam, even to me, a regular person. The hostility they responded with, was breathtaking. How dare I question them. lol

[@IntegrityMeansAll]

I’ve never tried it but heard it helps some people (with ADHD) but maybe it’s subjective/placebo.. but maybe worth a try…?

[@Minepj]

Considering ADHD remains a controversial diagnosis and many (in some places most) clinicians overestimate their understanding of it, how to navigate this reality is an issue in and of itself.

[@Cnsalmoni]

@@IntegrityMeansAllplacebo works great sometimes. That’s why I became a dvm. Don’t have to worry about it in studies.

[@hsinchiehlim2508]

Just learnt about the beta and theta waves from your video! When you described how ADHDers have higher theta waves, and before I started stimulant meds in September this year, I would have described my 'default' mode to be a rather sleepy / dreamy state, and the meds have certainly 'woken' me up. Speaking of, I really appreciate your videos about neuroprotection with stimulant meds, because before all that, I thought stimulant meds were going to cut my life short or rot my brain, for whatever ridiculous stigma attached to meds. So thank you!!!

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

Thanks!

[@CatFish107]

Just dropping a little note here to mention that watching this channel was the first thing my psychiatrist recommended after giving me my diagnosis! That was the first time I've been prescribed youtube, and the first channel I've seen a medical professional put their stamp of approval on.

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

Thank you!

[@ChrisEdgeSXE]

So i have ADHD and received Neurofeedback training for 30h (1h per week). It has been a couple months ago. I FEEL like it helped me alot. When I go into situations like work where i have to function, i feel like being more calm, concentrated, focused and less overwhelmed or distracted. I would recommend it.

[@minimuffinmug]

Thank you so much for this! I have been recommended NeuroFeedback as a treatment, but I wasn’t sure about it. Now I am informed and can reject it properly.

[@celinapalfrey6001]

He’s honestly the best

[@IntegrityMeansAll]

Why reject it without trying it first if no side effects? It may help you..

[@Autodidactz]

​@@IntegrityMeansAllbecause these things cost money. Do you have money to waste?

[@zeitgenosse2564]

Thanks for the video. This type of treatment is widespread in Germany, especially because people here are extremely sceptical about treatment with medication, to the point where it is actively demonised

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

glad to be of help

[@raginald7mars408]

as a German Biologist - no matter in what Situation you are and no matter WHO You are - it is the self Monitoring in the confrontation that determines the Path. Any tool enhancing Self Monitor increases competence. Buy a Cheap Guitar and train Tuning by Ear. Train to tune to any situation. This leads to mastery in anything.

[@ADHDES]

This makes sense and is expected for me. Neurofeedback is like an attempt to train executive functions and attention to improve neurological functional deficits, and this is not useful because in ADHD there is a neurobiological functional deficit at the level of neural connections, neurotransmitters, and executive function pathways of the brain, in addition to being a multifaceted disorder linked to almost everything, it requires medication primarily and an integrated behavioral therapy program to adapt and improve the aspects of deficiency, as well as attention to good nutrition, exercise, good sleep, and mindfulness in addition to modifying the lifestyle and environment to suit our abilities and adaptations. (We have to accept the fact that executive functional deficits are permanent and ongoing and all these procedures are only means of support and not a final solution. We have to accept the matter in the end. It is enough for me that I have become well aware of myself and my abilities and the interpretation of my actions and strengths and weaknesses and the way I adapt and deal with life events. It seems as if I have a manual for using the manufactured self and this is enough for me, for knowledge is power) unlike many people who have not yet understood themselves, and in fact there is no A perfect thing or creature in this life, we all have shortcomings and strengths, and this life is similar to a big game with its own rules, conditions and events, so be sure to be a good player to achieve your passion and real goals in a way that suits your self.

[@vizi434]

I did some sessions and there was one single day when I had a total silence in my brain. It was magical! I thought what if other people have it all the time?! Now I know the feeling of being neurotypical.

[@f.schmid468]

I am late diagnosed with adhd and i get neurofeedback traing for nearly 1 year now. 1 hour once per week. I live in Germany where 90% of the coast are covered by my health insurance so it does not hurt my wallet much. I had a very insightful time with the training. First of all, it showed me how different my brain functions. Neurotypical brains or even some other patients with diagnosed adhd, eegs look very very different from mine. Nearly all my different brainwaves share nearly the same amount of capacity except theta which is allways high, i have a very high rate of crossovers and even if some special brainwaves come out(like we aim for in training) as the dominant one its very unstable and the rest still crossover alot and are not stable at all. My therapist told me in the first session: Chaos in the head, mister smith i can affirm that. Furthermore in my first session i felt quite focused during the session, it turned out to be high beta focus which means the most stressful and exhausting one, which made me realize how i learned to cope by forcing my self cognitively to focus to function and therefore exhausting my brain even with simple task, like in that case watching a movie. It also showed me how my night shift Working and sleep deprivation makes this even worse! (So is stopped working in health care after 9 years) I also have medical suspicion i may be AuDHD(will maybe take some.months or years till i get my diagnosis, the situation for late diagnosis in Germany is difficult) and probably got some c-ptsd(thats what showed up through therapy). Which could both on their own explainations for my very different EEG patterns, according to my personal research about that topic. Has anyone similar experiences or something of value to tell me? Oh i also take vyvanse medication(1 year) and CBT (5 months so far). Even with stimulant medication my brainwaves are something one could call a unstable mess.

[@nickwright9064]

The only "neurofeedback" these people are getting from me is annoyance for spamming my Facebook with ads. As always, thank you for posting!

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

You're welcome!

[@nobodygh]

Hi dr. Barkley, will you please do a video about EEG as a diagnostic tool for ADHD? I had an EEG done to diagnose my ADHD, because I did not trust my own self-reporting. What do you think about that?

[@quicksite]

He already mentioned it was not a reliable diagnostic tool.

[@sonnys.5075]

Not trusting own reporting or feeling like one is ‘faking it’ seems to be actually very common among ADHDrs who get diagnosed later in life.

[@four1629]

i'm excited to watch this video! i've heard a lot about neurofeedback, so i'm very interested in the topic

[@four1629]

thanks for the video! what an interesting result from the meta analysis

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

Glad to be of help.

[@shadowmystery5613]

I am an avid fan of Biofeedback. Biofeedback as in, do an actually decent job for once supported/enabled by medication and coping strategies, and then go claim praise from Colleagues XD Also another strategy I am following, I treat my co-workers and bosses like NPC's in a video game from time to time. Which means: If I am uncertain what to do or when to do it and how to do it, I simply ask them or tell them how I'd do it to have a simple short reality check if what I am currently thinking is right. Or - I go fetch a task, do it, then return to the one who gave me the task to get or suggest the next one (many people won't like it if you can't work independent to some degree) - also helps me generate Dopamine if I get viable feedback (like "You did well/It's alright" or "Yeah good idea to do Task C next") and get a proper priorization of tasks when I have a low and get off track. Can't believe I'm already with our company/store for over a year, and finally have an employee contract in sight for the first time in my life since I left school almost 20 years ago 😊

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

Well put

[@weaviejeebies]

Well now, this sure is timely. I'm being pitched on neurofeedback by another therapist in my practitioner's group. Gonna pass on that one, thanks!

[@TheNachomd]

Thank you for your excellent review of the meta-analysis. I would love to know your opinion on the usefulness of neurofeedback in internalizing symptoms such as anxiety or depression that are usually associated with ADHD.

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

I doubt it is any more effective and those conditions aren’t associated as much with differences in the EEG so it raises the question of what is the feedback one is using and what wave spectrums would one be trying to change. But I am not certain of any research on this at this time.

[@daniellether2150]

Thank you so much for all your help and info about this condition Dr Barkley your a true legend.

[@nubianstartwentysix7765]

Hello Dr. Barkley, Thank you for your KZbin channel. Could you please tell us if neurofeedback is effective for the treatment of ANXIETY & DEPRESSION? Thank you

[@IamSlacker]

I was just about to comment regarding this. I have ADHD (woman diagnosed in my 30s) and comorbid anxiety and depression. I've done neurofeedback for a few months last year and this year, and I do believe that my depression symptoms have lessened, making me feel less hopeless and more resilient. I'm of the opinion that neurofeedback to treat these other related issues is promising and I wouldn't discourage anyone with ADHD who's thinking about signing up for neurofeedback of giving up on it solely based on the research centered around ADHD symptoms only. If someone can reduce the intensity of the comorbidities it could very much help ADHDers better deal with their other day-to-day problems that would have otherwise consumed them.

[@megabyte01]

Disclaimer: i am not a doctor. The link between ADHD behavior and anxious behavior is like the link between the chicken and the egg. For some people, being inherently neurodivergent without support of some kind in a world that expects neurotypical behavior can make a person anxious. For some people who have become anxious due to their circumstances, ADHD behaviors and thought patterns manifest as a coping mechanism. Some people have gotten a diagnosis and prescription for one when they might have benefited from the other. Again, I am not a doctor. I encourage you to consult one if you can and to do your own research into credible sources. I will say that self care, such as sleep, diet, exercise, and meditation have been helpful for me. They aren't a solution, just a set of treatments

[@Goodvibesaround3]

Catherine is givinggggg “let me bark at others to try and make them insecure so no one has the time to see I’m actually just projecting my own insecurities onto them.”

[@jameswilliams7183]

This is timely. I was looking into getting it done (it's expensive) after reading a glowing review on reddit.

[@JenHCoaching]

Thanks as always!!

[@MeloniousThunk]

Thanks Dr Barkley! I enjoy your analyses so much and I really prefer the ones without the canned laughter / clapping. Unfortunately your mic doesn’t pick up the sound of your little machine very well and the noise startles me every time! I hope this is helpful constructive feedback. Keep up the great work and content!

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

Many thanks!

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

sorry I will try adjusting its positioning and use it just occasionally.

[@md82892]

I and my son has been doing remote neuro feedback for more than 5 months and 2-3 30mins sessions every day as a treatment protocol. Day dreaming, impulsiveness, forgetfullness, hyperactivity, hyperfocus etc all the symptoms of ADHD was supposed to get better within 2 months. After 5 months there is absolutely zero change neither me nor my son’s symptoms. However the EEG mappings show dramatic change in brain waves towards the normal population. When I’m asking why we’re not seeing any real world improvements, NFb practitioner is telling me that EEG results are showing improvement so it may be a delayed response. After hundreds of sessions I’m not sure what that means really. I’m getting to the conclusion that NFB is probably a useless practice to reduce ADHD symptoms.

[@Cerbera66]

Thanks for the information 😊

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

My pleasure 😊

[@miracbarsusta1834]

Thank you Dr. !

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

Most welcome!

[@zezezep]

Thankyou again

[@TheMsPetal]

@Dr. Barkley, can you speculate on why this treatment might not be effective? I'm wondering 2 things in particular. 1) Whether the research parameters are simply too narrow to address the fullness of ADHD AND, 2) Whether the research designs themselves are simply not able to pick up on what would truly be experienced as important to the research subjects as individuals.

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

Briefly, the brain waves are a correlate or consequence of the underlying neurological and genetic origins of ADHD symptoms, not the cause of them. Thus I think this method addresses the wrong problem. Even if the training works in the lab when it’s being done, it doesn’t last or carryover to improve functioning into the natural setting. I don’t think it’s a study design issue. Be well

[@UnePaquerette]

Thank you

[@Autodidactz]

I came back to reread a couple of comments i read in a rush earlier and they are gone! Omg! Including my comment. No one disagreed with medication, or the information shared at all. They simply shared their positive experiences about meditations and body scanning (yoga nidra) alongside these things. Very SUS Dr.Barkley. and yes, I'll expect this comment to also 'disappear'. My intuition has been kicking of lately and now i know why. Done.

[@Cnsalmoni]

Yes! Thank you. I thought I had been reported and the banned for some previous comment. Mine was about meds and an ADHD specialist. Notice how I haven’t used any specifics here…. Gladto know I’m no the only one. Not like we are giving medical advice or promoting conspiracy theories, etc. Sent a comment to You tube feed back. Maybe they will ban me for doing that….

[@imnotfunny21]

What about fnir technology. The Mendi has been helping my greatly - inattentive ADHD

[@ehsankhodadadi5448]

Thank you very much ❤ I live in Iran Unfortunately there are a lot of clinics using neuro feedback for treating ADHD They claim that it is as effective as medication Many families think that medication has side effect so neurofeedback is much better ....😢 They waste their time , money .....❤❤

[@rusticitas]

Oh, well guess who’s been doing this for two years and while interesting concept isn’t working but assumed it was me. 🤨 🧐 🤔 And who had been researching other therapists awhile ago but forgot … wtf are those notes?

[@rusticitas]

And who was diagnosed in mid/late 30s and put on meds, didn’t even have concept to realize until 15+ years later during pandemic that there was anything to _learn_ about my ADHD. Pills but no Skills. 😢

[@rusticitas]

That said there is a skill(?) one can learn from at least the kind of feedback I have been doing. I had to figure this out on my own over two years. I can only compare to learning how to wiggle my ears when I was a kid. What I figured out was how to relax the muscles around the back of my head and base of skull. That doesn’t fix ADHD but when having intense anxiety pang it can help refocus and ease that. 🤷‍♂️

[@mdp_lady]

So if we with ADHD have different brain waves, why can’t we use that technology to diagnose it, since it doesn’t work to “treat” ADHD?

[@DantePsychology]

There are "group average" difference in some brain waves/states comparing groups of people with ADHD to groups of people without, but individual variance is too high to use these tests diagnostically, as there can be people with ADHD that appear to not have the "ADHD group" brain states and vice versa.

[@ehsankhodadadi5448]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@russellbarkleyphd2023]

🙏

[@ehsankhodadadi5448]

🌿🌺🌸🙏

[@bb2323.]

It was obvious that is scam But thanks for heads up grandpa

[@6Xyzzy]

I can't tell if this comment is rude or loving

[@nubianstartwentysix7765]

​@@6Xyzzy 💯💯💯💯🎯🎯🎯🎯

[@bb2323.]

@@6XyzzyI love grandpa

[@bb2323.]

@@6XyzzyI love grandpa Russell

[@6Xyzzy]

@@bb2323. ❤️