Assessment of the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults

The attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most comm on disorders in childhood and adolescence with a prevalence of app.5%. The importance of ADHD in childhood as a factor of vulnerability for psychiatri c disorders in adults is becoming a focus of discussion. It was shown that there is a comorbidity in adults with substance abuse, delinquency and pers onality disorders. There is a growing evidence that ADHD will persist in a significant number of patients during adulthood. This is the first german study to evaluate this interdependence,We examined 164 adult inpatients and 48 healthy volunteers with the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), a retrospective self-evaluation scale for the diagnosis of A DHD in childhood, and the Eysenck impulsiveness questionnaire I-7. It could be shown that the WURS and the I-7 are suitable instruments for th e evaluation of the ADHD in adults especially concerning the aspects of att ention deficits and impulsiveness.