adult ADHD
Why is ADHD so difficult to diagnose in older adults?
Goodman David W, Cortese Samuele, Faraone Stephen V. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics 2024
This invited editorial addresses the common biases by clinicians that diminish the likelihood of an accurate evaluation for ADHD. Only recently recognized in the international scientific research, ADHD persists throughout one’s life. Older ADHD adults were not diagnosed as a child. The evaluation for ADHD in adults over age 50 is complicated by other medical and psychiatric disorders. Most psychiatrists and medical providers have not been formally trained to diagnose ADHD in older adults. This publication highlights the biases at different stages of diagnosis and treatment and suggests way to “set aside” the biases and serve the patient’s best interest. My co-authors are two of the most cited researchers in ADHD in the world.