Researchers looked at how common attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among older adults in the Netherlands. The people studied were part of a long-running aging study and were between 60 and 94 years old. The work had two stages. First, 1,494 people filled out an ADHD screening list. Then 231 people took part in a structured diagnostic interview. The interview tool was based on criteria first written for children.
After adjusting the results to reflect the wider Dutch older population, the study estimated that close to 3 in 100 older adults met the fuller set of ADHD criteria (2.8%), and closer to 4 in 100 met a broader symptom-based definition (4.2%). The authors say this was the first study of its kind in older people, and they conclude that ADHD does not simply disappear with age.
Younger older adults (60 to 70 years) reported more ADHD symptoms on average than the oldest group (71 to 94 years), and this gap was statistically clear (P = 0.003). The authors note the counts were small (14 and 23 cases) and the interview tool had not been tested in older adults.
Source: Marieke Michielsen, Evert J. Semeijn, Hannie C. Comijs, et al.. Prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in older adults in the Netherlands. The British Journal of Psychiatry (2012). doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.111.101196