The following broad trends emerged : ( 1 ) without treatment , people with ADHD had poorer long-term outcomes in all categories compared with people without ADHD , and ( 2 ) treatment for ADHD improved long-term outcomes compared with untreated ADHD , although not usually to normal levels .
Conclusions This systematic review provides a synthesis of studies of ADHD long-term outcomes .
Current treatments may reduce the negative impact that untreated ADHD has on life functioning , but does not usually ' normalize ' the recipients
Background In childhood , attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is characterized by age-inappropriate levels of inattentiveness/disorganization , hyperactivity/impulsiveness , or a combination thereof .
Although the criteria for ADHD are well defined , the long-term consequences in adults and children need to be more comprehensively understood and quantified .
We conducted a systematic review evaluating the long-term outcomes ( defined as 2 years or more ) of ADHD with the goal of identifying long-term outcomes and the impact that any treatment ( pharmacological , non-pharmacological , or multimodal ) has on ADHD long-term outcomes .
A Systematic Review of Global Publication Trends Regarding Long-Term Outcomes of ADHD
There is increased global recognition of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) as a serious medical condition with long-term consequences . Although originally conceived of as a childhood disorder , ADHD is being increasingly recognized in adults . Individual geographic regions may have specific interests and objectives for the study of ADHD . A systematic review of  long-term outcomes ( LTOs ) in ADHD was conducted to evaluate research on ADHD LTOs  on a global scale . Studies that were at least 2 years in duration were examined . A total of 351 studies were identified in the final analysis . We identified nine outcomes of interest and classified studies by specific geographical regions , age groups studied and study design by region and over time . Published studies of LTOs in ADHD have increased in all geographical regions over the past three decades , with a peak number of 42 publications in 2008 . This rise in publications on ADHD LTOs may reflect a rise in global interest and recognition of consequences and impairment associated with ADHD . Although many world regions have published on ADHD LTOs , the majority of studies have emerged from the US and Canada , followed by Europe . While investigators in the US and Canada were predominantly interested in drug addiction as a LTO , European research ers were more interested in antisocial behavior , and Eastern Asian investigators focused on both of these LTOs as well as self-esteem . Geographical differences in the focus of ADHD LTO studies may reflect regional variations in cultural values . Proportionally fewer prospect i ve longitudinal studies and proportionally more retrospective and cross-sectional studies have been published in more recent decades . Finally , more studies focusing on ADHD in adolescents and adults have been conducted in recent years , and particularly adolescents in Eastern Asia . These changes in basic study design may reflect an increase in the recognition that ADHD is a lifetime chronic disorder . This systematic review analysis of publication trends in ADHD LTOs reflects geographically based interests that change over time
The following broad trends emerged : ( 1 ) without treatment , people with ADHD had poorer long-term outcomes in all categories compared with people without ADHD , and ( 2 ) treatment for ADHD improved long-term outcomes compared with untreated ADHD , although not usually to normal levels .
Conclusions This systematic review provides a synthesis of studies of ADHD long-term outcomes .
Current treatments may reduce the negative impact that untreated ADHD has on life functioning , but does not usually ' normalize ' the recipients
Background In childhood , attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is characterized by age-inappropriate levels of inattentiveness/disorganization , hyperactivity/impulsiveness , or a combination thereof .
Although the criteria for ADHD are well defined , the long-term consequences in adults and children need to be more comprehensively understood and quantified .
We conducted a systematic review evaluating the long-term outcomes ( defined as 2 years or more ) of ADHD with the goal of identifying long-term outcomes and the impact that any treatment ( pharmacological , non-pharmacological , or multimodal ) has on ADHD long-term outcomes .