Back in October 2014, I was featured on ITV’s Meridian news as part of a piece to discuss how Neurofeedback could be used alongside other treatments to help people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). You can read more about the feature on our previous post here.

At the time of the piece airing, Professor Tim Kendall, who was involved in developing the NICE clinical guidelines for ADHD, was also interviewed and questioned on whether Neurofeedback would become available on the NHS as a treatment for ADHD. Within Professor Kendall’s response, he mentions that Neurofeedback would be considered on the NHS, if evidence of randomised controlled trials could prove that Neurofeedback can offer better results to treatments that are already offered by the NHS. The video featuring Professor Kendall’s response can be found here.

There is an ever expanding body of evidence to support Neurofeedback as an effective treatment approach. Back in 2012, the American Academy of Paediatrics (the professional body for US Paediatricians) published an independently written report declaring EEG Biofeedback as a ‘Level 1′ Evidence-Based Intervention for Attention and Hyperactivity behavioural problems in children and adolescents. This means that the American Academy of Paediatrics has given EEG Biofeedback their highest rating as an evidence based intervention for ADHD. In America, Neurofeedback is a recognised and respected treatment approach endorsed by medical professionals and paid for by medical insurance companies.

Professor Kendall specifically mentioned a lack of randomised control trials supporting the efficacy of Neurofeedback, however, there are a number of such studies. For example, the research by Steiner et al, published in the peer reviewed medical journal, Paediatrics. You can read this here.

Perhaps the irony is that as the body of evidence highlighting the serious and harmful effects of medication grows so also does the case for Neurofeedback as a safe, effective and long term alternative. Neurofeedback is a recognised, respected and readily available treatment in America. It is time this was also true of the UK and that patients and parents were offered this option on the NHS.

For more information on Neurofeedback and the services offered by IEPSKENT, please visit the Neurofeedback section of our website.