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From Childhood into Adulthood: The Changing Face of ADHD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Lenard A. Adler
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Extract

How common is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and does the prevalence change from adolescence to adulthood?

A number of studies have reviewed the persistence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from childhood into adolescence and adulthood as well as how the disorder changes over the lifespan of the illness. Recently, a metaanalysis found that the worldwide prevalence of childhood ADHD is ∼8%, and approximately two thirds of children with ADHD continue to have the disorder as adults. The National Comorbidity Survey is possibly the most comprehensive, up-to-date study examining the prevalence of community-based prevalence of adult ADHD; 4.4% of patients in that study were found to have ADHD. The prevalence of ADHD among adolescent patients seems to lie somewhere between the prevalence rates for children and adults.

Type
Research Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 12 , Issue S23: The Impact, Identification, and Management of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults , December 2007 , pp. 6 - 9
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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