[Long-term courses in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)].

ADHD was long considered to be the attention deficit disorder of childhood. Observations over the long-term have, however, shown that some one-third of victims also continue to meet the criteria for ADHD in adulthood too. In many cases, such additional psychiatric conditions as depression or an addictive illness are also to be seen. Today, ADHD is believed to be a mainly heritable disorder with deviations in the dopaminergic system. Re-evaluation of the condition now focuses attention on the attention-related, rather than the hyperactivity-related aspects of the problem. Currently, the best therapeutic results are achieved through the use of stimulants coupled with intensive paediatric psychiatric care.