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PMID: 16585449 Published · ppublish English Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

The prevalence and correlates of adult ADHD in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.

The American journal of psychiatry ·Vol. 163 ·No. 4 ·2006-04-00 ·Pages 716-23

Kessler RC, Adler L, Barkley R, Biederman J, Conners CK, Demler O, Faraone SV, Greenhill LL, Howes MJ, Secnik K, Spencer T, Ustun TB, Walters EE, Zaslavsky AM

Abstract

Despite growing interest in adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), little is known about its prevalence or correlates. A screen for adult ADHD was included in a probability subsample (N=3,199) of 18-44-year-old respondents in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, a nationally representative household survey that used a lay-administered diagnostic interview to assess a wide range of DSM-IV disorders. Blinded clinical follow-up interviews of adult ADHD were carried out with 154 respondents, oversampling those with positive screen results. Multiple imputation was used to estimate prevalence and correlates of clinician-assessed adult ADHD. The estimated prevalence of current adult ADHD was 4.4%. Significant correlates included being male, previously married, unemployed, and non-Hispanic white. Adult ADHD was highly comorbid with many other DSM-IV disorders assessed in the survey and was associated with substantial role impairment. The majority of cases were untreated, although many individuals had obtained treatment for other comorbid mental and substance-related disorders. Efforts are needed to increase the detection and treatment of adult ADHD. Research is needed to determine whether effective treatment would reduce the onset, persistence, and severity of disorders that co-occur with adult ADHD.

MeSH Terms
Adolescent Adult Age Factors Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis,epidemiology Comorbidity Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry) Female Follow-Up Studies Health Surveys Humans Male Mental Disorders/diagnosis,epidemiology Prevalence Psychiatric Status Rating Scales/statistics & numerical data Risk Factors Sex Factors Substance-Related Disorders/diagnosis,epidemiology Unemployment/statistics & numerical data United States/epidemiology Whites/statistics & numerical data
Authors & Affiliations
14 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Kessler Ronald C
Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, 180 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA. [email protected]
Adler Lenard
Barkley Russell
Biederman Joseph
Conners C Keith
Demler Olga
Faraone Stephen V
Greenhill Laurence L
Howes Mary J
Secnik Kristina
Spencer Thomas
Ustun T Bedirhan
Walters Ellen E
Zaslavsky Alan M
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Article Info
Journal
The American journal of psychiatry
Abbr.
Am J Psychiatry
ISSN
0002-953X
DOI
10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.716
Email
[email protected]
Published
2006-04-00
Pages
716-23
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0370512
PMCID
PMC2859678
Subset
IM
Grants
NIMH NIH HHS · U01 MH060220 · United States
NIMH NIH HHS · U01 MH060220-04 · United States
NIMH NIH HHS · U01-MH-60220 · United States
Corrections
CommentIn
PMID: 17065313
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.716 PMC Full Text View journal details
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