Contact:
Jennifer Choi
Assistant Director, Media Relations
NYU Medical Center Public Affairs
212-404-3555
e-mail: jennifer.choi@nyumc.org
New York, June 13, 2005-- The Adult ADHD program at New York University School of Medicine recently published the first edition of a newsletter entitled Adult ADHD: Issues and Answers. This newsletter is the first of its kind as it is the first up-to-date newsletter for clinicians that is solely devoted to covering the latest advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of Adult ADHD. All issues will be distributed free of charge and can also be downloaded from: http://www.med.nyu.edu/psych/psychiatrist/adultadhdnewsletter.html
Adult ADHD: Issues and Answers will serve an unmet need
for clinicians who wish to better understand adult ADHD. A national
survey of 400 primary care physicians released by New York University
School of Medicine in 2003 revealed that nearly half of the participants
said that they do not feel confident in diagnosing ADHD in adults.
Additionally, only 34 percent of primary care physicians reported
being “very knowledgeable” or “extremely knowledgeable”
about adult ADHD compared with 92 percent who said the same for
depression and 83 percent for generalized anxiety disorder.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was originally thought
to be a childhood disorder that was outgrown. It is now known that
approximately 2 out of 3 children with ADHD will go on to become
adults with ADHD and that 80% of the adults with the disorder are
undiagnosed and untreated
Another important objective is to help those who have adult ADHD
but are unaware of it, find means for diagnosis and treatment. “Untreated
adults with ADHD are more likely to become substance abusers, have
marital problems, have occupational and school problems, and incur
more serious auto accidents,” explains Dr. Lenard Adler, Editor
of the newsletter, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology,
and the Director of the Adult ADHD Program at New York University
School of Medicine.
The premier issue of this newsletter contains a case report on adult
ADHD, journal reviews, facts about adult ADHD, and the Adult Self-Report
Scale (ASRS) v1.1 Screener that was developed by Dr. Adler and other
adult ADHD experts.
Copyrighted by the World Health Organization, the Adult Self-Report
Scale (ASRS) v1.1 Screener is a screening tool that is available
to help psychologists, child and adult psychiatrists, and primary
care physicians identify individuals who are at risk for having
adult ADHD. This screener is a 6-item tool that contains the adult
ADHD symptoms most predictive of having the disorder. A recent study
conducted at Harvard Medical School found that those who screened
positive on the ASRS v1.1 Screener had a 93% chance of actually
having the disorder. This 6-item screening tool is useful in identifying
those who are at risk for adult ADHD who can than receive a full
clinical evaluation for diagnosis.
Upcoming issues will include a continuing medical education component
in alternating issues, and will also have guest editorials from
thought leaders, clinical reviews, journal scans that review recent
significant publications in adult ADHD, and questions from the field,
in which clinicians can e-mail questions to the staff of experts.
Topics in the upcoming issues will include:
- Child versus adult ADHD-Is there a difference?
- Treatment of adult ADHD-Using both the older and newer agents
- Comorbidity and ADHD-Are there warning signs you should look for?
- Economic implications of adult ADHD
- Major depressive disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Substance abuse
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