BACKGROUND: Diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is difficult when the diagnostician cannot establish an onset prior to the DSM-IV criterion of age 7 or if the number of symptoms recalled does not achieve the DSM-IV threshold for diagnosis. Because neuropsychological deficits are associated with ADHD, we addressed the validity of the DSM-IV age at onset and symptom threshold criteria by using neuropsychological test scores as external validators. METHODS: We compared four groups of adults: 1) full ADHD subjects met all DSM-IV criteria for childhood-onset ADHD; 2) late-onset ADHD subjects met all criteria except the age at onset criterion; 3) subthreshold ADHD subjects did not meet full symptom criteria; and 4) non-ADHD subjects did not meet any of the above criteria. RESULTS: Late-onset and full ADHD subjects had similar patterns of neuropsychological dysfunction. By comparison, subthreshold ADHD subjects showed few neuropsychological differences with non-ADHD subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showing similar neuropsychological underpinning in subjects with late-onset ADHD suggest that the DSM-IV age at onset criterion may be too stringent. Our data also suggest that ADHD subjects who failed to ever meet the DSM-IV threshold for diagnosis have a milder form of the disorder.
BACKGROUND: Diagnosing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is difficult when the diagnostician cannot establish an onset prior to the DSM-IV criterion of age 7 or if the number of symptoms recalled does not achieve the DSM-IV threshold for diagnosis. Because neuropsychological deficits are associated with ADHD, we addressed the validity of the DSM-IV age at onset and symptom threshold criteria by using neuropsychological test scores as external validators. METHODS: We compared four groups of adults: 1) full ADHD subjects met all DSM-IV criteria for childhood-onset ADHD; 2) late-onset ADHD subjects met all criteria except the age at onset criterion; 3) subthreshold ADHD subjects did not meet full symptom criteria; and 4) non-ADHD subjects did not meet any of the above criteria. RESULTS: Late-onset and full ADHD subjects had similar patterns of neuropsychological dysfunction. By comparison, subthreshold ADHD subjects showed few neuropsychological differences with non-ADHD subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showing similar neuropsychological underpinning in subjects with late-onset ADHD suggest that the DSM-IV age at onset criterion may be too stringent. Our data also suggest that ADHD subjects who failed to ever meet the DSM-IV threshold for diagnosis have a milder form of the disorder.
Authors: Joseph Biederman; Carter R Petty; Maggie Evans; Jacqueline Small; Stephen V Faraone Journal: Psychiatry Res Date: 2010-05-30 Impact factor: 3.222
Authors: Larry J Seidman; Joseph Biederman; Lichen Liang; Eve M Valera; Michael C Monuteaux; Ariel Brown; Jonathan Kaiser; Thomas Spencer; Stephen V Faraone; Nikos Makris Journal: Biol Psychiatry Date: 2010-12-23 Impact factor: 13.382
Authors: Aja Louise Murray; Tom Booth; Bonnie Auyeung; Manuel Eisner; Denis Ribeaud; Ingrid Obsuth Journal: J Atten Disord Date: 2018-08-22 Impact factor: 3.256
Authors: Craig B H Surman; Joseph Biederman; Thomas Spencer; Carolyn A Miller; Katie M McDermott; Stephen V Faraone Journal: Atten Defic Hyperact Disord Date: 2013-02-15
Authors: Sandra J J Kooij; Susanne Bejerot; Andrew Blackwell; Herve Caci; Miquel Casas-Brugué; Pieter J Carpentier; Dan Edvinsson; John Fayyad; Karin Foeken; Michael Fitzgerald; Veronique Gaillac; Ylva Ginsberg; Chantal Henry; Johanna Krause; Michael B Lensing; Iris Manor; Helmut Niederhofer; Carlos Nunes-Filipe; Martin D Ohlmeier; Pierre Oswald; Stefano Pallanti; Artemios Pehlivanidis; Josep A Ramos-Quiroga; Maria Rastam; Doris Ryffel-Rawak; Steven Stes; Philip Asherson Journal: BMC Psychiatry Date: 2010-09-03 Impact factor: 3.630