Studies of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults

grantor: University of Toronto'Background'. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common and serious condition affecting children and adults. The symptoms of ADHD include distractibility, overactivity, impulsiveness, and inattentiveness. The manifestations of ADHD in adults are not well understood, and the current methods of diagnosis are controversial. The present research, in two parts, examines the diagnosis of ADHD in adults, and cognitive functioning in adults with the disorder. 'Objectives'. The purposes of the present study were: (1) to determine if an adult can provide as accurate a rating of his own childhood and current ADHD symptoms as can an informant, and (2) to determine if adults with ADHD have the same deficits in cognitive functioning as children with the disorder. 'Method'. In Study 1, adult subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire rating their own childhood or current ADHD symptoms. A parent or partner was asked to complete a similar questionnaire rating the subject's childhood or current ADHD symptoms. The correlation between subject and informant ratings of inattentive symptoms, hyperactive-impulsive symptoms, and total symptoms was determined. In Study 2, the performance of 18 adults with ADHD on several cognitive tests was compared to that of 18 normal controls. 'Results'. In Study 1, moderate to high correlations were found between subject and informant ratings of both childhood and current ADHD symptoms. In Study 2, adults with ADHD were found to have an impairment in cognitive functioning. 'Conclusions'. An adult is able to give as accurate an account of his own childhood and current ADHD symptoms as is an informant. In addition, adults with ADHD have an impairment similar to that found in children with ADHD.Ph.D