The utility of neuropsychological tests in evaluation of Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) versus depression in adults.

A comparison was made between adults with depression and with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on a battery of cognitive tests of attention span and memory. Both the ADHD and depression groups were subdivided with regard to comorbid depression in the ADHD group and developmental learning disorder in both groups. Utilizing Discriminant Function Analysis, it was found that variables derived from the California Verbal Learning Test, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, and the Stroop Test discriminated among the various subgroups at a level significantly exceeding chance. However, although the great majority of the ADHD participants were correctly classified, there were numerous misclassifications among the depressed groups. It was concluded that the tests used were highly sensitive to ADHD, but were also sensitive to a subgroup of depressed individuals.