title: Prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in older adults in The Netherlands.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among older adults.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of the syndromatic and symptomatic DSM-IV ADHD diagnosis in older adults in The Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were used from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). At baseline, 1494 participants were screened with an ADHD questionnaire and in 231 respondents a structured diagnostic interview was administered. The weighted prevalence of ADHD was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The estimated prevalence rate of syndromatic ADHD in older adults was 2.8%; for symptomatic ADHD the rate was 4.2%. Younger elderly adults (60-70 years) reported significantly more ADHD symptoms than older elderly adults (71-94 years).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first epidemiological study on ADHD in older persons. With a prevalence of 2.8% the study demonstrates that ADHD does not fade or disappear in adulthood and that it is a topic very much worthy of further study.
authors.affiliation: EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.michielsen@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Marieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Michielsen
authors.forename: Evert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Semeijn
authors.forename: Hannie C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Comijs
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van de Ven
authors.forename: Aartjan T F
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Beekman
authors.forename: Dorly J H
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Deeg
authors.forename: J J Sandra
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kooij
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data