Cognitive behavioral therapy in particular can provide benefits, especially alongside medication, in the treatment of adult ADHD. Epidemiology
In North America and Europe, it is estimated that three to five percent of adults have ADHD. Of those adults with ADHD, an estimated 10% of those have received a formal diagnosis. It has been estimated that 5% of the global population has ADHD (including cases not yet diagnosed). In the context of the World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey Initiative, researchers screened more than 11,000 people aged 18 to 44 years in ten countries in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. On this basis they estimated the adult ADHD proportion of the population to average 3.5 percent with a range of 1.2 to 7.3 percent, with a significantly lower prevalence in low-income countries (1.9%) compared to high-income countries (4.2%). The researchers concluded that adult ADHD often co-occurs with other disorders, and that it is associated with considerable role disability. Although they found that few adults are treated for ADHD itself, in many instances treatment is given for the co-occurring disorders. History
Early work on disorders of attention was conducted by Alexander Crichton in 1798 writing about "mental restlessness". The underlying condition came to be recognized from the early 1900s by Sir George Still. Efficacy of medications on symptoms was discovered during the 1930s and research continued throughout the twentieth century.
Controversy
ADHD controversies include concerns about its existence as a disorder, its causes, the methods by which ADHD is diagnosed and treated including the use of stimulant medications in children, possible overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis as ADHD leading to undertreatment of the real underlying disease, alleged hegemonic practices of the American Psychiatric Association and negative stereotypes of children diagnosed with ADHD. These controversies have surrounded the subject since at least the 1970s. References
Further reading
External links
"Publications About ADHD". National Institute for Mental Health. Rockville, Maryland. Archived from the original on 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2015-04-13.