title: A comparison of comorbidity and psychological outcomes in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare psychiatric comorbid disorders and psychological outcomes in children and adolescents with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were divided into a child group (aged under 12 years) and an adolescent group (aged 12 years and above). All subjects were diagnosed with ADHD based on the DSM IV diagnostic criteria using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Korean Version (K-SADS-PL-K). The K-SADS-PL-K was also used to evaluate those psychiatric disorders comorbid with ADHD. And the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL) was used to examine the subjects' psychological outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of comorbidity in adolescent group was significantly higher than that in the child group. In particular, the adolescent group had a significantly higher ratio of comorbid conduct disorder and mood disorder than the child group. With respect to the predominantly inattentive type and Not Otherwise Specified, the school subscale scores on the K-CBCL for the children were significantly higher than those for the adolescents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the psychiatric comorbidity may differ between adolescents and children with ADHD. Therefore when treating adolescents with ADHD, more careful assessment and treatment targeting a range of comorbidities are needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.forename: Inchul
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Misun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Sunyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sungdo David
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Yoosook
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Joung