title: Comorbidity and continuity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from childhood to adolescence in Turkey.
abstract: The aim of this study was to examine clinical outcomes, psychiatric comorbidity and neuropsychological characteristics in Turkish adolescents with an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis in childhood. A total of 45 children with ADHD diagnosis and 28 children with a psychiatric diagnosis other than ADHD in a 1-year cohort of 7-10-year-olds were reevaluated 6 years later using Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime version and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and Stroop Test TBAG version. This study shows that the clinical outcomes and the comorbidity patterns for ADHD from childhood to adolescence in Turkey are similar to reported rates in the Western countries. In the ADHD group, 75.6 % still has impairing ADHD symptoms and 46.6 % has comorbid psychiatric disorders. The main difference is anxiety disorders being the most common comorbid disorders (37.8 %) in Turkish ADHD youth. These findings stress the high comorbidity associated with ADHD and support the importance of assessment and treatment for ADHD and comorbidities during adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey, tunacak@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: H Tuna
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Cak
authors.forename: Gulser Senses
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Dinc
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tuzun
authors.forename: S Gulin
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Evinc
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cop
authors.forename: Fusun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cuhadaroglu Cetin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology