Abstract
Little is known about which clinical features may aid the differentiation between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other clinical conditions. This study seeks to determine the role of self- and informant reports on symptoms and impairments in the clinical evaluation of adult ADHD and explore their association with objective neuropsychological test performance by examining data of 169 outpatients referred for a diagnostic evaluation of adult ADHD. Participants were assigned either to an ADHD group (ADHD, n = 73) or one of two clinical comparison groups, depending on whether they show indications (Clinical Comparison Group, CCG, n = 53) or no indications (Clinical Comparison Group—Not Diagnosed, CCG-ND, n = 43) of psychiatric disorders other than ADHD. All participants and their informants completed a set of questionnaires. Compared to the CCG-ND, the ADHD group obtained significantly higher scores on ADHD symptoms, impulsivity, cognitive deficits, and anxiety. Compared to the CCG, the ADHD group scored significantly higher on ADHD symptoms but lower on depression. Further regression analyses revealed that self- and informant reports failed to predict neuropsychological test performance. Self- and informant reported information may be distinct features and do not correspond to results of objective neuropsychological testing.
Highlights
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuropsychiatric childhood disorder that persists into adulthood in a sizeable proportion of individuals and is characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity [1,2,3,4]
By using a large clinical sample of individuals who all completed a comprehensive battery of self- and informant reports, this study aims to determine whether individuals meeting the diagnostic criteria of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be differentiated from relevant clinical controls in the same referral context by reported levels of symptoms and impairments
Significant differences were found in symptom domains of ADHD, anxiety, depression, impulsiveness, and subjective experience of cognitive deficits, whereas no significant effects were observed in any of the discrepancy scores or in the neuropsychological test performance
Summary
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuropsychiatric childhood disorder that persists into adulthood in a sizeable proportion of individuals and is characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity [1,2,3,4]. Even though patients with ADHD differ in their experiences from healthy individuals in many aspects of functioning [15,36,37], the diagnostic process in an outpatient referral context may be more puzzling, as adult ADHD is sought to be differentiated from healthy individuals but, from clinical conditions that may have overlapping clinical features and referral reasons It remains a challenge for clinical research to identify characteristics, symptoms and impairments that are specific for adult ADHD and help the clinician to differentiate ADHD from subclinical levels of impairment and other clinical conditions
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