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Screening for attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology in adult mental health clinics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2017

D. Adamis Open the ORCID record for D. Adamis [Opens in a new window] ,
I. Graffeo ,
R. Kumar ,
D. Meagher ,
D. O’Neill ,
O. Mulligan ,
S. Murthy ,
E. O’Mahony ,
G. McCarthy  and
B. Gavin
...Show all authors
D. Adamis*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sligo Mental Health Services, Sligo, Ireland Department of Psychiatry, Research and Academic Institute of Athens, Athens, Greece Department of Psychiatry, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
I. Graffeo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sligo Mental Health Services, Sligo, Ireland
R. Kumar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sligo Mental Health Services, Sligo, Ireland
D. Meagher
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Limerick Medical School, Limerick, Ireland
D. O’Neill
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sligo Mental Health Services, Sligo, Ireland
O. Mulligan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sligo Mental Health Services, Sligo, Ireland
S. Murthy
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sligo Mental Health Services, Sligo, Ireland
E. O’Mahony
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sligo Mental Health Services, Sligo, Ireland
G. McCarthy
Affiliation:
Sligo Medical Academy, NUI Galway and Sligo Mental Health Services, Sligo, Ireland
B. Gavin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University College Dublin, Ireland
F. McNicholas
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University College Dublin, Ireland
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr Dimitrios Adamis, Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, Sligo Mental Health Services, Clarion Road, Sligo F91 CD34, Ireland. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Objectives

This study estimates the symptomatology of attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adult mental health services (AMHS) outpatient clinics.

Methods

All consecutive patients attending any of the outpatients’ clinics in Sligo/Leitrim AMHS were invited to participate. Participants completed the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) and the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) self-report. Clinical notes were reviewed to identify those with a pre-existing ADHD diagnosis.

Results

From 822 attending the clinics, 62 did not meet inclusion criteria, 97 declined to participate and 29 had incomplete data in either of the screening scales, leaving 634 (77%) eligible for full study analysis. Mean age was 40.38 (s.d.: 12.85), and 326 (51.4%) were females. In total, 215 (33.9%) screened positive on the WURS for childhood onset ADHD and 219 (34.5%) participants scored positive on the ASRS. Applying a more stringent criteria of scoring above cut-offs on both scales, suggested 131 (20.7%) screened positive on both. Only three (2.3%) had a prior clinical diagnosis.

Conclusions

This preliminary study suggests the possibility of relatively higher rates of ADHD in a general AMHS than previously thought, however, given the possibility of overlapping symptoms with other major psychiatric disorders in adulthood and recall bias further research is needed before drawing firm conclusions.

Keywords

Adultattention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)epidemiologyprevalence
Type
Original Research
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 35 , Special Issue 3: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder , September 2018 , pp. 193 - 201
Copyright
© College of Psychiatrists of Ireland 2017 

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