Impact of the impairment criterion in the diagnosis of adult ADHD: 33-year follow-up study of boys with ADHD.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between ADHD symptoms and impairment among adults diagnosed as having ADHD in childhood (ages 6-12).

Method: Clinicians blindly interviewed 121 White males; the mean age was 41 years across the sample. DSM-IV adult ADHD behaviors were systematically rated, and impairment resulting from symptoms was scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale.

Age of methylphenidate treatment initiation in children with ADHD and later substance abuse: prospective follow-up into adulthood.

Objective: Animal studies have shown that age at stimulant exposure is positively related to later drug sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to examine whether age at initiation of stimulant treatment in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is related to the subsequent development of substance use disorders.

Method: The authors conducted a prospective longitudinal study of 176 methylphenidate-treated Caucasian male children (ages 6 to 12) with ADHD but without conduct disorder.

Does major depressive disorder in parents predict specific fears and phobias in offspring?

Evidence suggests a relationship between parental depression and phobias in offspring as well as links between childhood fears and risk for major depression. This study examines the relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders in parents and specific fears and phobias in offspring. Three hundred and eighteen children of parents with lifetime MDD, anxiety disorder, MDD+anxiety disorder, or neither were psychiatrically assessed via parent interview.