Functional outcomes in the treatment of adults with ADHD.
OBJECTIVE
ADHD is associated with significant functional impairment in adults. The present study examined functional outcomes following 6-month double-blind treatment with either atomoxetine or placebo.


METHODS
Patients were 410 adults (58.5% male) with DSM-IV-defined ADHD. They were randomly assigned to receive either atomoxetine 40 mg/day to 80 mg/day (n = 271) or placebo (n = 139). The primary functional outcome measure was the Endicott Work Productivity Scale (EWPS), and the secondary measure was the Adult ADHD Quality of Life (AAQoL). Patients were seen for four visits in 6 months.


RESULTS
At 6 months, both groups had nonsignificantly different improvements in EWPS total scores. Atomoxetine-treated patients showed significantly greater improvement than placebo-treated patients on the AAQoL after controlling for baseline severity of ADHD. Both treatment groups had low 6-month study completion rates.


CONCLUSIONS
Following 6-month treatment with atomoxetine, adults with ADHD showed significantly greater improvement in functioning on disease-specific measures of quality of life than patients treated with placebo.
Adler
Lenard A
LA
Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10010, USA. Lenard.adler@med.nyu.edu
Spencer
Thomas J
TJ
Levine
Louise R
LR
Ramsey
Janet L
JL
Tamura
Roy
R
Kelsey
Douglas
D
Ball
Susan G
SG
Allen
Albert J
AJ
Biederman
Joseph
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome