Long-term Cost of Treating ADHD vs Neurofeedback

Some information I came across recently.

Excerpt from Hammond article: Research has shown, however, that the costs associated with medication treatment are actually quite sizable. For instance, a study (Marchetti et al., 2001) of six different medications for ADD/ADHD treatment found that the average cost per school-aged patient was$1,678 each year. Another study (Swensenet al., 2003) examined the health care costs in more than 100,000 families where ADHD was either present or not present. They found that in families where a member had ADHD,the direct costs of health care expenditures plus indirect costs (such as work loss) averaged$1,288 per year higher for the other family members (who had not been diagnosed as having ADD/ADHD) in comparison with members of families where ADHD was not present. This would mean that the cost of medication just cited, combined with indirect costs each year for a family with two children, one of whom had ADHD, would be $5,542.

ISNR article: This front-loading of sessions tends to make NFB treatment appear more expensive than psychotherapy; however, the cost for NFB is a concentrated cost over several months whereas the cost of psychotherapy is typically similar but spread out over many months or years. Therefore, NFB is usually a one-time intervention of 40 or fewer sessions over the course of four months or less, whereas psychotherapy and/or stimulant medications often will go on for several years. Very few if any individuals with ADHD will respond in five sessions or less to any form of treatment, including medications which are often prescribed for years. However, when NFB treatment is complete, there is a high probability of long-term maintenance of treatment gains, unlike what research has found with medication usage. The cost of NFB for a 10 year-old child typically ranges from $3000 to $4500 over a relatively short period of time compared to parent training and psychotherapy, plus continued medication usage for years, possibly into adulthood. Although medication costs vary, the long-term medication and medication-management costs alone for ADHD often exceed $6,000. There is also the issue of quality of life, which is difficult to put a price on, but also includes the negative side effects that are common with stimulant medications.