Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Adults: Updates from APA 2019

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ADHD is a common neuropsychiatric disorder, affecting more than 2-3% of adults in the United States. ADHD is characterized by inattentive and/or hyperactive symptoms. Inattentive symptoms include inattention, distractibility and ...

ADHD is a common neuropsychiatric disorder, affecting more than 2-3% of adults in the United States. ADHD is characterized by inattentive and/or hyperactive symptoms. Inattentive symptoms include inattention, distractibility and procrastination whereas hyperactive symptoms include impatience, restlessness, and impulsiveness. The presence of the disorder has a significant impact on health, education, and family situations.

The stimulant drug class presently represents first-line pharmacotherapy. There had previously been concern about the health risks of pharmacotherapy. However, time has brought additional experience with the medication, as ADHD medication use has risen by over 35% overall recently and over 53% in adults. Aside from experience, while simulants increase surrogate markers of heart rate and blood pressure by approximately 10 increments, there does not appear to be an increased risk of a serious adverse cardiovascular events. Another concern in recent years that may have been addressed is prescription drug abuse in children and young adults; research is now finding a significant gap between perceptions of abuse of ADHD stimulant medications and actual rates of misuse and abuse.

This activity is intended to be a one-hour learning activity focused on ADHD and its complications, designed to bring healthcare providers up to date in their practice and give them a sense of coming changes to practice and the literature.

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