Signs and symptoms Edit

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Pathophysiology Edit

Diagnosis Edit

Management Edit

Prognosis Edit

ADHD persists into adulthood in about 30–50% of cases.[22] Those affected are likely to develop coping mechanisms as they mature, thus compensating to some extent for their previous symptoms.[25] Children with ADHD have a higher risk of unintentional injuries.[173] Effects of medication on functional impairment and quality of life (e.g. reduced risk of accidents) have been found across multiple domains. But learning disorders and executive function deficits do not seem to respond to ADHD medications.[206]

Epidemiology Edit

Main article: Epidemiology of attention deficit hyperactive disorder ADHD is estimated to affect about 6–7% of people aged 18 and under when diagnosed via the DSM-IV criteria.[15] When diagnosed via the ICD-10 criteria rates in this age group are estimated at 1–2%.[16] Children in North America appear to have a higher rate of ADHD than children in Africa and the Middle East; this is believed to be due to differing methods of diagnosis rather than a difference in underlying frequency.[207] If the same diagnostic methods are used, the rates are more or less the same between countries.[17] It is diagnosed approximately three times more often in boys than in girls.[19][20] This difference between sexes may reflect either a difference in susceptibility or that females with ADHD are less likely to be diagnosed than males.[208] Rates of diagnosis and treatment have increased in both the United Kingdom and the United States since the 1970s.[209] This is believed to be primarily due to changes in how the condition is diagnosed[209] and how readily people are willing to treat it with medications rather than a true change in how common the condition is.[16] It is believed that changes to the diagnostic criteria in 2013 with the release of the DSM-5 will increase the percentage of people diagnosed with ADHD, especially among adults.[210]

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Controversy Edit

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