A 4-year follow-up study of attention-deficit hyperactivity symptoms, comorbidities, and psychostimulant use in a Brazilian sample of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate symptom persistence in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the development of comorbidities, and psychostimulant usage patterns. Follow-up studies were conducted in 37 patients with ADHD and 22 healthy controls, aged 10 and 18, 4 years after their first assessment. The ADHD was rated as persistent if participants met all DSM-IV criteria for syndromic or sub-threshold persistence, or had functional impairments (functional persistence). Of the 37 ADHD patients we reevaluated, 75% had persistent symptoms, and psychiatric comorbidities with additional functional impairments and academic problems were more common than in controls. These follow-up findings show a high comorbidity associated with ADHD and support the importance of evaluation and treatment for ADHD and comorbidities throughout life.