Relationship of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder symptoms, depressive/anxiety symptoms, and life quality in young men.

AIM

Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continues to be among the most frequently missed of psychiatric diagnoses in adults because its presentation in adulthood so often mimics those of better-known disorders. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms, depression/anxiety symptoms, and life quality in young men.

METHODS

Nine hundred and twenty-nine draftees into the Taiwanese army completed the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), the World Health Organization (WHO) Quality of Life-Brief Version, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Scale. Based on high ASRS scores, a total of 328 adults (35.3%) were identified as having ADHD: 65 (7.0%) with definite ADHD and 263 (28.3%) with probable ADHD.

RESULTS

The 328 subjects in the ADHD group had more severe depressive, anxiety symptoms and daytime sleepiness, and had poorer quality of life than the 601 controls (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

ADHD should be included in the differential diagnosis for young men presenting with anxiety, depression, daytime sleepiness, and poor quality of life.