ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER IN CHILDHOOD AMONG ADULTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION

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.