There is a dearth of long‐term follow‐up studies of adults diagnosed with ADHD. Here, the aim was to evaluate long‐term outcomes in a group of ADHD patients diagnosed in adulthood and receiving routine psychiatric health care. Adults diagnosed with any type of ADHD ( n = 52) and healthy controls ( n = 73) were assessed at baseline and at a 5‐year follow‐up, using Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Brown ADD Scale (BADDS) and Adult ADHD Self‐Report Scale (ASRS). A multivariate regression method was used to identify factors predicting 5‐year outcomes, including baseline ratings, medication intensity, comorbidity, intelligence quotient (IQ), age, and sex. After 5 years, ADHD patients reported fewer and/or less severe symptoms compared to baseline, but remained at clinically significant symptom levels and with functional deficits. Baseline self‐reports of ADHD symptoms predicted their own 5‐year outcome and low baseline functioning level predicted improved global functioning at follow‐up. Factors previously reported to predict short‐term outcomes (i.e., medication, comorbidity, IQ, age, and sex) did not anticipate long‐term outcomes in present study.

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IntroductionInformation from parents and teachers are essential in the treatment monitoring of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Rating scales are infrequently used in the treatment monitoring, and clinicians are signalling logistic barriers in the administration of rating scales in clinical settings. Here, we aimed to try out a new easy-to-use scale to facilitate information sharing between parents, teachers, and medical staff, in the treatment of childhood ADHD.MethodsWe examined the SNABB scale in a clinical sample of 27 child- and adolescent patients with any type of ADHD, in a routine clinical setting. We compared the outcome of the new SNABB scale with the commonly used Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Teacher and Parent ADHD rating scale—version IV (SNAP-IV).ResultsThe SNABB questions concerning ADHD cardinal symptoms hyperactivity and impulsivity were associated with the concurrent SNAP-IV subscale, with moderate to strong correlations. The SNABB inattention question failed all associations with the concurrent SNAP-IV inattention subscale. A secondary finding was that the SNABB mood regulation question correlated with the SNAP-IV ODD-subscale at all three measure points.ConclusionPresent pilot study brings promising results for the possibility to carry out larger scale studies concerning the psychometric properties of the SNABB scale.