Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: psychological test profiles in a clinical population

Abstract

Compared to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, relatively little is known about the clinical characteristics of adults with persistent ADHD. We elected to use established tests with age-corrected norms to compare the battery of psychological and neuropsychological tests conducted on outpatients admitted to our Adult ADHD clinic. ADHD patients scored significantly higher than norms on the TPQ novelty seeking and harm avoidance scales and MMPI-2 scales F, 2, 4, 7, and 8. Further, these patients were impaired on the California verbal learning test, the attentional capacity test, and the omissions and variability subtests of the test of variables of attention. Adult ADHD had high comorbidity with current depressive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and alcohol and drug abuse/dependence. High correlations were found between patients' and independent observers' reports of ADHD symptom severity. Implications for further research are discussed.