Six-year outcome in subjects diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as adults

Abstract

There are very few studies on the long-term outcome in subjects diagnosed with ADHD as adults. The objective of the present study was to assess this and relate the outcome to whether there was current medication or not and to other potential predictors of favourable outcome. A prospective clinical cohort of adults diagnosed with ADHD according to DSM-IV criteria was followed-up on an average of 6 years after first evaluation (n = 124; mean age 42 years, 51% males). ADHD symptom trajectories were assessed as well as medication, global functioning, disability, health-related quality of life, and alcohol and drug consumption at follow-up. Ninety percent of those diagnosed were initially treated pharmacologically and half of them discontinued treatment. One-third reported remission, defined as not fulfilling any ADHD subtype and a GAF-value last year ≥ 70, which was not affected by comorbidity at baseline. Current medication was not associated with remission. Subjects evaluated and first diagnosed with ADHD as adults are functionally improved at follow-up 6 years later despite a high percentage of psychiatric comorbidity at baseline. Half dropped out of medication, and there was no difference in ADHD remission between subjects with on-going medication at follow-up or subjects without medication, although current medication was related to a higher degree of self-reported global improvement.

Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörung über die Lebensspanne

“…Lebensjahr. Im Erwachsenenalter zeigt sich eine ähnlich hohe Komorbiditätsrate von bis zu 75% [Kessler et al, 2006;Kooij et al, 2010;Sobanski und Alm, 2004], insbesondere an Achse-I-(affektive Störungen, Angststörungen, Substanzmissbrauch, Essstörungen, somatoforme Störungen, Anpassungsstörungen [Cumyn et al, 2007]), aber auch Achse-II-(zwanghafte, antisoziale und Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstörungen [Cumyn et al, 2007;Edvinsson et al, 2013;Van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen et al, 2014]) und somatischen Störungen [Spencer et al, 2014].…”

Lifetime Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders in Newly Diagnosed Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or/and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

“…It has been considered that ADHD prevalence in ASD decreases with age and preliminary data suggest that the association between ASD and ADHD traits may be somewhat lower in adult age than in childhood/adolescence [34]. Current or past diagnosis of ADHD in ASD adult patients has been reported to be from 9.7-43% with most reports being within the range of 37-43% [19] [24] [26] [ [35][36][37] while 10% of a sample of patients diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood had a current or past diagnosis of ASD [38]. Epidemiological and clinical data on the psychiatric comorbidity of this particular group in adulthood are very limited.…”

Review on the Present Condition of Histrionic Personality Disorder

“…Histrionic patients have more alexithymic features compared to a healthy control group (42). For women, previous studies reported higher comorbidity between HPD and ADHD symptoms (43). In a longitudinal study, HPD was related with higher rates of major depression disorder at a subsequent time point (MDD; although the co-occurrence of HDD and MDD is reduced in cross-sectional studies), but in cross-sectional research, HPD was not related with higher suicide risk (44,45).…”