Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults: Clinical and Psychophysiological Features and Treatment

Abstract

The treatment of patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an important current problem in pediatric neurology and psychiatry. This condition occurs in 5-9% of children in the general population [1,2,7,23]. Children and adolescents with ADHD are characterized by restlessness, distractibility, extreme mobility, impulsivity, low levels of success, and fatigue. In 30-50% of cases, the symptoms of ADHD, developing in childhood, continue to some extent or another into adult age [6]. The clinical manifestations of this disorder in adults have received much less attention. ADHD is found in 3-6% of the adult population [15,17,20].ADHD is currently regarded as a manifestation of impaired nervous system development. It has therefore been suggested that the primary development of ADHD cannot occur in adults.Special criteria have been development for assessing ADHD in adults [6]. According to these data, the behavior of the adult patient in childhood (retrospectively) must correspond to the DSM-IV criteria for pediatric ADHD, while in adults it must correspond to features 1 and 2 below, as well as at least two of criteria 3-7: 1. Constant movement activity. 2. Impaired attention. 3. Emotional lability. 4. Inability to complete tasks. 5. Irascibility. 6. Intolerance of stress. 7. Impulsivity.These signs produce the features of the behavior of adult patients with ADHD in social and personal life. Despite the fact that these patients do not show cognitive impairments, their academic achievements and education do suffer. Patients with ADHD have a reduced representation in higher education and have lower work roles. These people have poor time-planning and organizational skills, change their workplaces often, and are dismissed very frequently. However, the level of unemployment among them is not significantly different from that in the control group. They have an increased frequency of being victims in road traffic collisions [10] and suffer more accidents. Worse results are obtained in psychophysiological stop signal tests, evidencing increased impulsivity [21]. Adults with ADHD have a number of difficulties in their personal life: large numbers of partners with short-lived sexual relationships, frequent separations, and lack of a systematic approach to the use of contraceptives. They also often suffer addictive disorders.In other countries, the treatment of ADHD is mostly based on the use of psychostimulators and atomoxetine.We present here the results of studies of 34 patients aged 18-30 years with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (ICD-10 F90.0). The form of ADHD with predominance of inattention was more frequent in adults (50% of patients), while the form with predominance of hyperactivity (11.7%) and the combined form (38.3%) were less common. The status of adult patients with ADHD was characterized by high levels of anxiety and asthenia. The efficacy and safety of Adaptol at a dose of 1500 mg/day for eight weeks were studied in the treatment of this group of patients. Clinical, psycholo...

Preventive Effect of Mebicar and Ginsenoside Rg1 on Neurobehavioral and Immunological Disruptions Caused by Intermittent Unpredictable Stress in Mice

“…Mebicar has been studied as an anxiolytic and adaptogen, which helps adapt to new environments, and its efficacy includes stress relief and ADHD treatment [14]. In particular, mebicar has been effective in hyperactivity disorder accompanying anxiety disorder [15,16]. Mebicar's anti-anxiety effect also led to an antifatigue effect [9,17].…”

“…Mebicar has been studied as an anxiolytic and adaptogen, which helps to adapt to new environments and its efficacy includes stress relief and ADHD treatment in human [14]. Mebicar is effective in hyperactivity disorder accompanying anxiety disorder and has been reported to have anxiety relief and anti-fatigue effects [9,[15][16][17]. Ginsenoside Rg1 is a major ingredient, which is a class of triterpene saponins in Ginseng.…”

Psychophysiological characteristics of students with the symptoms of attention deficit disorder under the conditions of combined mental and physical loads

“…Современные исследования в области изучения свойств внимания и выявления признаков синдрома дефицита внимания и гиперактивности (СДВГ) у студенческой молодежи и взрослых направлены на подтверждение этого диагноза в данной группе [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Исследованиями И. Т. Нуреева, О. В. Поповой и других ученых было установлено, что среди студентов педагогического вуза г. Кирова синдром дефицита внимания встречается у 15,7 % (24,0 %юноши, 12,1 %девушки) и у 8,8 % студентов медицинского вуза г. Кирова (8,9 %это юноши и 8,7 %девушки) [7][8][9].…”