Frequency of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic, Babol University of Medical Sciences

 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adulthood is associated with significant impairment in occupational, academic, and social functioning. The aim of this study is to survey the frequency of ADHD in adults referred to psychiatric clinics.

 The present cross-sectional descriptive study includes 300 patients referred to psychiatric clinics affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences with an age range of 18-45 years who were selected and included in the study. It is used the Adults Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder self-report scale (ASRS V1.1) to diagnose Adult ADHD in these individuals. Logistic regression and P-Paired test were used to analyze the data.

 The mean age of the subjects was 30.21 ± 7 7.94. Of these, 181 (60.3%) were men and 119 (39.7%) were women. The overall prevalence of Adult ADHD in the study samples was 39.3%. In the logistic regression analysis of crude and adjusted data of study variables, no significant relationship was seen between Adult ADHD and age, education, employment status and marital status (P ≥ 0.05), but a significant relationship between Adult ADHD and consumption of Cigarettes, alcohol and drugs were observed (P ≤ 0.05).

 The findings of the present study show a relatively high prevalence of Adult ADHD among people with a history of psychiatric disorder, who are more likely to be exposed to smoking, alcohol and drug abuse.