Harvard Study Suggests Significant Prevalence of ADHD Symptoms Among Adults
A recent NIMH-funded survey tracking the prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity symptoms found that an estimated 4.4 percent of adults ages 18-44 in the United States experience symptoms and some disability.
The survey is known as the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) and is part of a series of tracking surveys supported by NIMH and conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School to assess the state of mental health of the nation.
The NCS-R is a nationally representative survey of English-speaking residents ages 18 and older. The study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry April 1, 2006. The results of the survey raise awareness about the possibility that many children who have ADHD continue to have related symptoms as adults. It points to the need for long-term, follow-up assessments of children diagnosed with ADHD to determine if the disorder lingers past adolescence and into adulthood.
For more information on the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, go to:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/qanda_ncs-r.cfm
For complete press release, go to:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/press/adultadhd.cfm
