Je. Alpert et al., ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER IN CHILDHOOD AMONG ADULTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION, Psychiatry research, 62(3), 1996, pp. 213-219
The prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with
childhood onset and its relationship to course and treatment outcome
of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults was studied in 116 patien
ts (ages 18-65) consecutively enrolled for treatment of MDD. Sixteen p
ercent of the patients were found to meet full or subthreshold criteri
a for the DSM-III-R diagnosis of childhood ADHD. Twelve percent endors
ed persistence of ADHD symptoms into adulthood, Depressed adults meeti
ng criteria for childhood ADHD did not differ significantly from other
depressed adults on any measures related to the chronicity or severit
y of the mood disorder, Axis I comorbidity, or response to acute antid
epressant treatment. Our results are clinically important as they sugg
est that clinicians need to be aware of the possibility that a substan
tial proportion of patients with MDD may suffer from comorbid ADHD and
that treatments need to include the targeting of possible residual AD
HD symptoms in addition to those of depression.