Adult ADHD: Treatment of a grown-up disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often thought of as a disorder of childhood, but approximately one-half of individuals who exhibit ADHD early in life will go on to have persistent symptoms into adulthood. These symptoms generally differ in presentation from the typical presentation of a school-aged child with hyperactivity and academic difficulties. Further complicating the picture is the fact that co-occurring psychiatric disorders that were not apparent during an individual's younger years can present in later adolescence. Therefore, the diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic patients can change over time, requiring some similar and some unique approaches to therapeutically managing ADHD in adults.