Evaluation of the current sociodemographic and medical status of adults with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder in childhood and adolescence

In our study, it was aimed to learn about the sociodemographic characteristics, academic life, forensic-medical history, treatment compliance and quality of life of children and adolescents who applied to the Child Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic of Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine due to attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. 62 volunteer patients who completed the age of 18 and were followed up in our outpatient clinic between 01.01.2000 and 01.01.2020 due to Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder were included in the study. Those with mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorder or individuals with a psychiatric illness that would impair reality assessment and seriously affect their cognitive functions were not included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 20.65±3.3 years and the mean age of ADHD diagnosis was 11.33±3.49 years. It was determined that 25.8% of the participants repeated the grade, 22.6% were disciplined during the education period, 67.7% smoked, 48.3% used alcohol, and 14.5% used substance; It was found that 14.5% of them got into trouble with the police, 22% had legal problems, and 58.1% had an accident history. When their treatment histories were examined, we found that 96.7% used methylphenidate, 12.9% used atomoxetine, and 19% used antipsychotic drugs during childhood and adolescence. Although the range of treatment periods is wide, the median value was calculated as 36 months. 85.5% of the participants stated that they benefited from the treatment, and 66.1% stated that there were side effects during the treatment. The most common side effects were loss of appetite and sleep changes. Comorbidities were found in childhood and adolescence in 41.9% of the participants, and oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, anxiety disorders and mood disorders were found to be the most common ones, respectively. It was determined that 37.1% of the participants applied to adult psychiatry in order to continue their ADHD treatment in adulthood, 6.4% had difficulties in continuing their treatment in adult psychiatry, and 21% were continuing their ADHD follow-up in the last 6 months. On the other hand, 25.8% of the participants were diagnosed with psychopathology other than ADHD in adulthood. These are the most common anxiety disorders and mood disorders, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the duration of drug use of the participants and the physical health score, psychological score, social relationship score and environmental score, which are the sub-areas of the WHOQoL-BREF quality of life scale. The physical health mean score of the participants was 16.38±2.74; psychological domain mean score was 14.97±3.19; social relationship domain mean score was 14.88±3.33; environmental domain mean score was calculated as 15.87±2.52. In conclusion, ADHD symptoms that continue in adulthood and/or ADHD in childhood and treatment process affect the quality of life of individuals with their functionality levels, accompanying comorbidities and difficulties in academic and work life. Larger samples compared with the healthy control group are needed in order to define the reflection of the disease in adulthood and the factors affecting this condition. Keywords: Adult attention deficit and hiperactivity disorder, Attention Deficit and Hiperactivity Disorder, Quality of life, prognosis, outcome