title: ADHD Is Highly Prevalent in Patients Seeking Treatment for Cannabis Use Disorders.
abstract: Objective:To estimate the prevalence of ADHD and determine an effective screening test for ADHD in a population-seeking treatment for cannabis use disorders.Method:The Conners Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview forDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition(DSM-IV; CAADID) was used to generate sensitivity and specificity data for ADHD screening tests, which were then administered to 99 participants seeking treatment for cannabis use disorders to estimate ADHD prevalence.Results:The prevalence estimated from the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) was 45% (sensitivity = 0.88, sensitivity of 0.75), from the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS) 34% (sensitivity = 0.80, specificity = 0.91), from the WURS + CAARS 36% (sensitivity = 0.71, specificity = 0.95), and from the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) 46% (sensitivity = 0.61, specificity = 0.86).Conclusion:The prevalence of ADHD in adults seeking treatment for cannabis use disorders is estimated to be between 34% and 46%. The WURS paired with the CAARS provides excellent sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of ADHD in this population.
authors.affiliation: New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY, USA.|Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Notzon
authors.affiliation: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pavlicova
authors.affiliation: New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.affiliation: New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY, USA.|Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.affiliation: New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Mahony
authors.affiliation: New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY, USA.|Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Frances R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Levin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D002188:Cannabis; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014589:Utah
keywords: ADHD; adult ADHD; coexisting disorders; screening; substance abuse