Adult ADHD Guidance Nears Release as Researchers Debate Diagnosis Profile

New guidance on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults is set to be released, according to India News Network. The outlet reported the upcoming publication in a headline dated Thursday, without detailing the specific recommendations the guidelines will contain.

The release arrives amid active discussion about how ADHD is identified and understood in adults. Psychiatric Times published remarks from APSARD President Brooke Molina, PhD, making the case for adult-specific guidelines. APSARD is the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders.

Separately, researchers have suggested that ADHD diagnosed in adulthood may present a milder profile than cases identified earlier in life. Daily Mail and Gazeta Express both reported on that study, with the Daily Mail describing the adult-diagnosed form as "mild." The two outlets covered the same research, and neither finding is presented as settled.

Coverage has also focused on how easily the condition can be overlooked, particularly in women and girls. The Sun carried a first-person account from a woman who described daydreaming and eating to cope before receiving a diagnosis, and who said the signs are often missed in female patients.

adult adhd

Taken together, the reporting points to a field still working out how adult ADHD should be assessed, how severe it typically is when found later in life, and why some cases go unrecognized for years.

What to watch next: the contents of the forthcoming guidelines, and whether they address diagnosis in adults who were not identified as children.

Adult ADHD Guidance Nears Release as Researchers Debate Diagnosis Profile

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