title: Functional outcomes in the treatment of adults with ADHD.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10010, USA. Lenard.adler@med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: Lenard A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Louise R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Janet L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ramsey
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kelsey
authors.forename: Susan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: Albert J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Biederman
mesh_terms: 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