Psychiatric comorbidity in ADHD symptom subtypes in clinic and community adults.
OBJECTIVE
To compare psychiatric comorbidity between the three symptom subtypes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Inattentive (I), Hyperactive-Impulsive (H), and Combined (C), in adults.


METHODS
A clinic sample (N = 487) and a nonreferred community sample (N = 900) completed a DSM-IV-referenced rating scale and a questionnaire (social, educational, occupational, and treatment variables). Participants were assigned to one of four groups: ADHD:I, ADHD:H, ADHD:C, and NONE.


RESULTS
All three ADHD symptom groups reported more severe comorbid symptoms than the NONE group; the ADHD:C and NONE groups were the most and least severe, respectively; and there were clear differences between the ADHD:I and ADHD:H groups. The pattern of group differences was similar in both samples.


CONCLUSIONS
ADHD symptom subtypes in adults are associated with distinct clinical correlates. The diversity of self-reported psychopathology in adults who meet symptom criteria for ADHD highlights the importance of conducting broad-based evaluations.
Sprafkin
Joyce
J
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, State University of New York at Stony Brook, NY 11794-8790, USA. Joyce.Sprafkin@stonybrook.edu
Gadow
Kenneth D
KD
Weiss
Margaret D
MD
Schneider
Jayne
J
Nolan
Edith E
EE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D010555:Personality Inventory; D013223:Statistics as Topic