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Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Lenard A. Adler  and
Jeffrey H. Newcorn
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Extract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be the most common chronic, undiagnosed psychiatric disorder in adults. ADHD is characterized by restlessness, overactivity, disorganization, impulsivity, and inattention; and as further characterized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). For most cases, an adult ADHD diagnosis is preceded by symptoms in childhood, which is a time when the disorder is rarely inquired about and usually overlooked.

ADHD has been recognized in children for several decades, and the importance of detection and treatment is well established. Whereas it was initially believed that children outgrew the disease, researchers now know that approximately two thirds of children affected with ADHD symptoms carry the condition into adolescence and then into adulthood. Consequently, >4% of adults in the United States have ADHD. Nevertheless, the disorder is unrecognized and untreated in the vast majority of these people.

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Type
Research Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 12 , Issue S23: The Impact, Identification, and Management of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults , December 2007 , pp. 4 - 5
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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