New Information on Adult ADHD

Two recently published studies add to the understanding of the effects of ADHD on adults.

Two studies of ADHD in adults were recently published in a book by Dr. Russell Barkley, Ph.D., a nationally acknowledged authority on the subject.

The first study was conducted at the University of Massachusetts. It showed that, compared to adults without ADHD, adults with the disorder were approximately three times more likely to sell illicit drugs. They were also more likely to have trouble managing money than their non-ADHD peers.

The second study, looked at adult outcomes of people diagnosed with ADHD as children. This research, from The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, reported that adults with ADHD were more likely to participate in a variety of antisocial behaviors, including initiating physical fights, destroying property, and breaking and entering.

These studies show that ADHD can have a significant impact on secondary functioning, those areas of performance that are not directly related to ADHD, in adults. Along with the more serious antisocial behaviors observed in these studies, ADHD may also affect educational and occupational functioning, health, driving, sex, dating, marriage. and parenting.

Dr. Barkley has started a speaking tour to discuss his book, ADHD in Adults: What the Science Says, and research on adult ADHD in general.