ADHD Lasts into Adulthood

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been considered to be a neurobehavioral disorder of childhood until date. Contradicting this belief, new research shows that symptoms of ADHD don't completely fade away as children grow, lasting even into adulthood.

Findings of the study published in the online issue of Pediatrics highlight the risks of discontinuing the treatment after childhood and urge to monitor the persons affected with the disorder, as children diagnosed with ADHD are more likely to experience psychiatric disorders as adults, prompting them to commit suicide or engage in risky behaviors and end up in jail.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood. Nearly one in 11 children in the country suffers from the disorder.

Children experiencing ADHD will have problems in paying attention, difficulty in controlling impulsive behaviors (acting without thinking about the consequences), and will be prone to hyper activity.

The current long-term study comes from a team of researchers from Boston Children's Hospital and Mayo Clinic who followed more than 5,700 children born in Rochester in Minn., between 1976 and 1982. Of the total participants, 367 were diagnosed with ADHD. Researchers followed 232 of them into adulthood and found about 29 percent of the participants having ADHD as adults.

A significant number of participants (57 percent) reported experiencing psychiatric disorders, including substance abuse, hypomanic episodes, anti-social personality disorder, anxiety and depression. During the study period, three committed suicide and 10 were incarcerated.

"We suffer from the misconception that ADHD is just an annoying childhood disorder that's overtreated," lead investigator William Barbaresi from the Boston Children's Hospital, said in a news release. "This couldn't be further from the truth. We need to have a chronic disease approach to ADHD as we do for diabetes. The system of care has to be designed for the long haul."

The findings come in the midst of an on-going debate worldwide about the negative impact of ADHD drugs on children. The benefits and risks of providing ADHD medicines to children have been a topic of controversy for a long time.

Ritalin or Methylphenidate, the stimulant commonly used to treat narcolepsy (uncontrollable sleepiness) and ADHD, has been associated with severe side-effects including addiction, insomnia or trouble sleeping, nausea, dizziness, decreased appetite, headaches, bed-wetting, depression, weight loss, seizures and heart palpitations. According to drug enquirer, it has other severe side-effects, like slowing children's growth and leading to blurred vision.