Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Other namesAdult ADHD, adult with ADHD, ADHD in adults, AADD
SpecialtyPsychiatry, Clinical psychology

Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the persistence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) into adulthood. It is a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning impairing symptoms must have been present in childhood, except for when ADHD occurs after traumatic brain injury.[1][2][3] Specifically, multiple symptoms must be present before the age of 12, according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.[2][3][4][5] The cutoff age of 12 is a change from the previous requirement of symptom onset, which was before the age of 7 in the DSM-IV.[3][6] This was done to add flexibility in the diagnosis of adults. ADHD was previously thought to be a childhood disorder that improved with age, but recent research has disproved this. Approximately two-thirds of childhood cases of ADHD continue into adulthood, with varying degrees of symptom severity that change over time and continue to affect individuals with symptoms ranging from minor inconveniences to impairments in daily functioning.[7][8]

This new insight on ADHD is further reflected in the DSM-5, which lists ADHD as a “lifespan neurodevelopmental condition,” and has distinct requirements for children and adults. Per DSM-5 criteria, children must display “six or more symptoms in either the inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive domain, or both,” for the diagnosis of ADHD.[3] Older adolescents and adults (age 17 and older) need to demonstrate at least five symptoms before the age of 12 in either domain to meet diagnostic criteria.[3][6] The International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) also updated its diagnostic criteria to better align with the new DSM-5 criteria, but in a change from the DSM-5 and the ICD-10, while it lists the key characteristics of ADHD, the ICD-11 does not specify an age of onset, the required number of symptoms that should be exhibited, or duration of symptoms.[6]

A final update to the DSM-5 from the DSM-IV is a revision in the way it classifies ADHD by symptoms, exchanging "subtypes" for "presentations" to better represent the fluidity of ADHD features displayed by individuals as they age.[3][6]

  1. ^ Faraone SV, Banaschewski T, Coghill D, Zheng Y, Biederman J, Bellgrove MA, Newcorn JH, Gignac M, Al Saud NM, Manor I, Rohde LA, Yang L, Cortese S, Almagor D, Stein MA (2021-09-01). "The World Federation of ADHD International Consensus Statement: 208 Evidence-based conclusions about the disorder". Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 128: 789–818. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.022. ISSN 0149-7634. PMC 8328933. PMID 33549739.
  2. ^ a b Taylor LE, Kaplan-Kahn EA, Lighthall RA, Antshel KM (August 2022). "Adult-Onset ADHD: A Critical Analysis and Alternative Explanations". Child Psychiatry and Human Development. 53 (4): 635–653. doi:10.1007/s10578-021-01159-w. PMID 33738692. S2CID 232297097.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5 (5th ed.). Washington: American psychiatric association. 2013. ISBN 978-0-89042-554-1.
  4. ^ Song P, Zha M, Yang Q, Zhang Y, Li X, Rudan I (February 2021). "The prevalence of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A global systematic review and meta-analysis". Journal of Global Health. 11: 04009. doi:10.7189/jogh.11.04009. PMC 7916320. PMID 33692893.
  5. ^ Soler-Gutiérrez AM, Pérez-González JC, Mayas J (2023-01-06). Tachibana Y (ed.). "Evidence of emotion dysregulation as a core symptom of adult ADHD: A systematic review". PLOS ONE. 18 (1): e0280131. Bibcode:2023PLoSO..1880131S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0280131. PMC 9821724. PMID 36608036.
  6. ^ a b c d Posner J, Polanczyk GV, Sonuga-Barke E (February 2020). "Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder". Lancet. 395 (10222): 450–462. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)33004-1. PMC 7880081. PMID 31982036.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Young_2020_2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Hartman CA, Larsson H, Vos M, Bellato A, Libutzki B, Solberg BS, et al. (August 2023). "Anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in adult men and women with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A substantive and methodological overview". Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 151: 105209. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105209. hdl:11250/3071178. PMID 37149075. S2CID 258488317.