ADHD Health Perspective : Part 2

by CDC

(Page 2 of 3)

Social and Economic Burden of ADHD through the Lifespan

Issues

Given the nature of the disorder, ADHD is believed to have a noticeable impact on social, economic, educational, and health care delivery systems. Additionally, it is reasonable to assume the condition affects those socially associated with an ADHD individual, including his/her family members, peers, and co-workers. However, the magnitude of the social and economic burden in these areas has not been systematically documented.

In general, small, clinic-based studies have shown that adults with ADHD consistently exhibit problems with interpersonal relationships, often have difficulty with employment, and frequently have comorbid or secondary conditions that further debilitate. Perhaps many of the disabilities and poorer outcomes associated with ADHD actually are more strongly associated with conditions that are highly comorbid with ADHD (such as Conduct Disorder) and result in significantly higher economic consequences to society. However, this hypothesis has not been tested.

In understanding the full nature of the disorder, it is imperative to understand the effect it has on the families of children with ADHD. These families may be more prone to conflict and increased levels of familial stress. The child with ADHD may also reduce the parents' productive participation in activities outside the family (work and community life). Many parents of children with ADHD themselves have the disorder or considerable levels of the symptomatology. However, the impact this disorder has on the family unit and in adult life needs considerable research effort to clarify what aspects of family it impacts and in what ways.

In addition, there is little concrete knowledge of the degree to which interventions can or do improve the outcome of children with ADHD. Developing ways to improve outcomes must begin with consistent and standardized measures of the impact of the disorder. Such methodical surveying has not occurred. Development of standardized burden measures is critical to beginning this process.

Action to Address Public Health Needs

Conduct analyses of ADHD public health burden in a way that estimates a broad array of costs outside of those exclusively associated with medical treatment. The burden should be studied from a broad perspective to include estimations of cost to society in a monetary sense as well as to individual-level indicators of well-being such as family functioning and social relationships.

Develop a standardized way to measure burden associated with ADHD and promote its use across studies. This would enable cross-study comparisons such as meta-analysis to be undertaken. This standardized measure should account for medical/treatment costs, educational costs, family costs, and adult functioning variables.

Incorporate information on ADHD in efforts to study and prevent unintentional injuries, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual risk-taking, disability, and other health risk behaviors in which ADHD may play an important role.

Include standardized measurements of burden in all public health research of ADHD. Future efforts to measure the impact of ADHD across a cohort should be a priority. Understanding if current interventions or future prevention strategies result in burden reduction will depend largely on consistent and accurate estimation of these Efforts must be made to estimate the prevalence and cost of this disorder in adult populations to understand the strict monetary costs as well as to better understand the areas of impairment for adults with ADHD.

Conduct population-based ADHD research that includes information on comorbid conditions and the burden with which they are associated. Much of our current evidence regarding comorbid conditions comes from clinical studies rather than population-based studies.

Explore mechanisms to append economic and social burden studies on other ongoing or completed studies in order to quantify the burden of ADHD.

Foster collaborations across Federal agencies in order to include information on ADHD in data collection efforts.

Establish a resource for both professionals and the public regarding what is known about the impact of ADHD.

Epidemiologic Issues in ADHD

Issues

Although investigation of ADHD has been quite extensive over the past 30 years, the scientific process has been significantly slowed by the lack of a single, consistent, and standard research protocol for case identification. Variable and disparate findings have been noted throughout the literature even on basic issues such as prevalence. As a consequence, speculation regarding possible increases in ADHD prevalence cannot currently be evaluated.

Additionally, we do not have demographic and descriptive statistics for children and adults with the disorder; therefore, there are disparities in identification, access to treatment, and reports of the manifestation of ADHD and its comorbidities. Risk factors for ADHD have not been thoroughly investigated although some clinical samples have identified possible factors that may contribute to ADHD. Some of these related factors are prenatal alcohol use, prenatal smoking, and low birth weight. Genetic predisposition or family history of ADHD has been noted consistently among clinical samples as a risk factor for the development of ADHD.

Unfortunately, many fundamental etiologic questions remain for ADHD. Identifying and understanding etiologic factors will enhance prevention efforts and treatment for both children and adults with ADHD.

About the Author

www.cdc.gov
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves.