Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) May Prevail Throughout Lifetime

Diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) in children may prevail as waxing and waning phase throughout the life as per a study at the University of Washington School Of Medicine/Uw Medicine, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. ADHD is characterized by two main clusters of symptoms – the inattentive symptoms (disorganization, forgetfulness, and having trouble staying on task) and the hyperactive, impulsive symptoms (resembling like a lot of energy in children, such as running around and climbing on things).

“It's important for people diagnosed with ADHD to understand that it's normal to have times in your life where things maybe more unmanageable and other times when things feel more under control,” says lead researcher Margaret Sibley, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

Prevalence of ADHD

The ADHD symptoms tend to differ depending on the different phases of life. The study from 16 institutions in the United States, Canada, and Brazil report that ADHD is typically first detected in childhood, and in approximately 50% of cases, it persists into adulthood.

However, contrastingly this study found that only 10% of children completely outgrow it. The present study was conducted in a group of 558 children with ADHD for 16 years – from 8-years old to 25 years old. The cohort was assessed for symptoms of ADHD every two years – a total of eight assessments.

Almost 90% of children with ADHD were found to have intermittent periods of remission in this Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD. The exact causes for these flaring of symptoms remain elusive.

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Moreover, it was also found that most people who technically no longer meet the criteria for ADHD in adulthood still have some traces of ADHD, but they were managing well on their own.

“The key is finding a job or a life passion that ADHD does not interfere with. You are going to see a lot of creative people have ADHD because they're able to be successful in their creative endeavors despite having ADHD, whereas people who might be required to do very detail-oriented work at a computer all day – that could be a really hard combination for a person with ADHD,” says, Sibley.

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Source-Medindia