ADHD symptoms may persist in adulthood: Study

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are likely to carry the symptoms as young adults and even into their mid-20s, suggests a finding.

The study found that the way ADHD is diagnosed can lead to different conclusions about whether or not an adult still has the disorder that started in childhood.

"If you ask the adult about their continued symptoms, they will often be unaware of them. However, family members or others who know them well often confirm that they still observe significant symptoms in the adult," said Margaret Sibley, Researcher, Florida International University in a study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

According to the study, symptom presentation of ADHD changes in adulthood than that in childhood.

"By asking a family member about the adult's symptoms and using adult-based definitions of the disorder, we found that around half of children with moderate to severe ADHD still show significant signs of the disorder in adulthood,"