Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not just a problem for kids nearly a third of those diagnosed as children with ADHD still have the condition in adulthood, according to a 20-year study, published yesterday in Pediatrics.
Researchers led by Dr. William Barbaresi of Boston Children's Hospital conducted the largest study of its kind following 5,719 children born between 1976 and 1982 in Rochester, Minnesota and the surrounding areas, for approximately 20 years. In the end, 232 of those with childhood ADHD agreed to follow-up studies. Their mean age at the time of the final evaluation was 27.
Results showed that 29.3 percent of the pediatric ADHD cases lasted into adulthood. Nearly as large a percentage 23.7 percent experienced ADHD symptoms with one or more other psychiatric disorders.
Furthermore, only about 38 percent of those who had ADHD as children made it to age 27 without either continued ADHD symptoms or at least one other psychiatric disorder. And more than a quarter of the adults who had both ADHD and another mental health issue abused alcohol, while 16 percent abused other substances, according to the study.
ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan was dismayed by these data: I am amazed at the extent of the psychological issues which persist into adulthood among ADHD sufferers as children. I had thought that symptoms of the disorder sometimes persist, but that the large majority of kids with ADHD grow out of it. This study indicates that follow-up with experts in mental health is often required for youngsters as they age, as well.
