Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in severely obese women.
OBJECTIVE
Past and current symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were assessed in a clinical sample of severely obese females.


METHODS
Core symptoms of ADHD were examined in 75 consecutive, severely obese (BMI > or = 35) women referred to a medical specialist for the non-surgical treatment of obesity. Subjects completed both a retrospective report of childhood symptoms of ADHD (Wender Utah Scale) and two standardized adult ADHD symptom scales.


RESULTS
The frequency of clinically suggestive elevations in ADHD scores was substantially and significantly higher than the normative samples in 9 out of 11 symptom subscales. Inattentive symptoms, but not hyperactive symptoms of ADHD, were frequently reported. Overall, 26.7% of the sample reported significant symptoms of ADHD in both childhood and adulthood.


CONCLUSIONS
This preliminary study suggests that severely obese women report significant symptomatology related to both childhood and adult ADHD.
Fleming
J P
JP
University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. flemingjp@rogers.com
Levy
L D
LD
Levitan
R D
RD