A small pilot study tested an eight-week mindfulness training program called Mindful Awareness Practices in people with ADHD. The group was 24 adults (mean age 48.5) and 8 adolescents (mean age 15.6) with a DSM-IV diagnosis, and five of the adults were rated as probable ADHD. Most were female, White, educated, and of medium-to-high income. Twenty-five people finished the training.
Most participants stuck with the program (78% adherence), and they rated it highly on a 1-to-10 scale (9.40 for adults and 9.35 for adolescents). After the training, most reported fewer ADHD symptoms (18 of 23), and some saw a drop of at least 30% (7 of 23). Scores on the combined ADHD symptom measure fell (29.09 to 21.43). Several attention and self-control tests improved, including a conflict task and two timed connect-the-dots tasks. A working memory test did not change. Among the adults, depression scores dropped (14.9 to 7.3) and anxiety scores dropped (7.2 to 4.1). Mood and anxiety changes in the adolescents were very small and were not tested.
The authors call this a preliminary study. It had no comparison group and relied on self-report, so the changes could reflect practice, placebo, or regression to the mean. The sample was small and not typical of the wider population.
Source: Zylowska L, Ackerman D, Yang M, et al.. Mindfulness Meditation Training in Adults and Adolescents With ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders (2007). doi:10.1177/1087054707308502