title: The prevalence and effects of adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder on work performance in a nationally representative sample of workers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prevalence and workplace consequences of adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  An ADHD screen was included in a national household survey (n = 3198, ages 18-44). Clinical re-interviews calibrated the screen to diagnoses of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition ADHD. Diagnoses among workers were compared with responses to the WHO Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 4.2% of workers had ADHD. ADHD was associated with 35.0 days of annual lost work performance, with higher associations among blue collar (55.8 days) than professional (12.2 days), technical (19.8 days), or service (32.6 days) workers. These associations represent 120 million days of annual lost work in the U.S. labor force, equivalent to dollar 19.5 billion lost human capital.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ADHD is a common and costly workplace condition. Effectiveness trials are needed to estimate the region of interest of workplace ADHD screening and treatment programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. kessler@hcp.med.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Ronald C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Lenard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Minnie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ames
authors.forename: Russell A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Barkley
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Birnbaum
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: T Bedirhan
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Ustün
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004526:Efficiency; D004650:Employee Performance Appraisal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D017132:Workplace