Surprise Finding on Adult ADHD (Premium)

The prevailing assumption has been that ADHD is a childhood disorder. Over time, the condition improves for many, but for some it continues into adulthood. At that point it is simply referred to as “adult ADHD.” In fact, here’s an article in American Family Physician that says ADHD affects 30 to 50 percent of adults who had the condition in childhood.

Well. . . a new study has shattered this premise!

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Researchers looked at 1000+ people in New Zealand over a four decade period. They found that about 6% of children had a diagnosis of ADHD, and 3% of adults did. Most were males. So far so good—this supports previous assumptions, although some would put the percentages higher. But—the real kicker is, there was basically no overlap between the groups. In other words, those with adult ADHD had not shown signs of it as a child.

So it’s back to the drawing board for determining the causes of adult ADHD. (Not that the scientific community has come up with clear causes for the large number of children diagnosed with the condition.)

See the study abstract from the American Journal of Psychiatry (May 2015) here, Is Adult ADHD a Childhood-Onset Neurodevelopmental Disorder? Evidence From a Four-Decade Longitudinal Cohort Study.

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