Lenard Adler, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Director of the Adult ADHD Program, NYU School of Medicine, discusses adult ADHD, which affects 4.4% of the adult population worldwide, making it the second most common mental health disorder after the depressive disorders. It is a highly impairing disorder that is often overlooked and not diagnosed.

Summary:
Adult ADHD has 4 major diagnostic criteria: symptoms, impairment, symptoms present since childhood, and exclusion of other mental health disorders. Mood disorders can be present in up to 50% of adults with ADHD.

References and Resources:
McIntosh D, Kutcher S, Binder C, Levitt A, Fallu A, Rosenbluth M. Adult ADHD and comorbid depression: A consensus-derived diagnostic algorithm for ADHD. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2009;5:137-50. Epub 2009 Apr 8.
Schenk M. [ADHD in adults: if fidgeting will develop.] Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 2009 Jun;134(24):p24. Epub 2009 Jun 10. German.

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Dr. Adler has disclosed the following:
Royalty: New York University
Consulting Fees: Abbott, Eli Lilly, Major League Baseball, Merck & Co., Mindsite, Organon, Ortho-McNeil/Jannsen/Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, Psychogenics, Sanofi-Aventis, Shire
Fees for non-CME Services Received Directly from a Commercial Interest or their Agents: Ortho-McNeil/Jannsen/Johnson and Johnson, Shire
Contracted Research: Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck & Co., Pfizer, Shire, Eli Lilly, Ortho-McNeil/Jannsen/Johnson and Johnson, National Institute on Drug Abuse

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