Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults

Changes in Diagnostic Criteria in DSM-5

Hashmi, Ali M. MD
Imran, Nazish MBBS, MRCPsych
Ali, Ali Ahsan MD
Shah, Asim A. MD

Ali M. Hashmi, MD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital. Nazish Imran, MBBS, MRCPsych, is an Associate Professor, Child and Family Psychiatry Department, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital. Ali Ahsan Ali, MD, is a Psychiatry Resident, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai-Elmhurst Hospital Center. Asim A. Shah, MD, is a Professor and the Vice Chair for Community Psychiatry, Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine; and the Chief of Psychiatry, Ben Taub Hospital, Harris Health System.

Address correspondence to Ali M. Hashmi, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, 54000; email: [email protected].

Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Psychiatric Annals 47(6):p 291-295, June 01, 2017. | DOI: 10.3928/00485713-20170509-02

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common and disabling disorder. Although its symptoms were described in children more than 100 years ago, its adult form has only recently received appropriate clinical attention. We now know that most children who develop symptoms of ADHD in childhood continue to manifest them past adolescence and into adulthood, and that these symptoms can negatively impact their personal, social, and occupational functioning. In this article, we focus on the evolution of the diagnostic criteria of ADHD over the years, including the latest iteration in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), fifth edition. Although DSM-5 has attempted to make the diagnosis of ADHD simpler in adults, some concerns remain, so this illness will need continued attention from both clinicians and researchers in the years to come. [Psychiatr Ann. 2017;47(6):291–295.]