[Outcome of hyperactive children]

Two issues are examined: 1. Does comorbidity in ADHD interfere with the longitudinal outcome? 2. Is adult ADHD a clinical reality. It seems that marked impairment in ADHD children social functioning (conduct disorders, aggressivity, destructive behavior) is a significant predictor of adult social disability (substance use disorders, antisocial personality and even criminality). Adult ADHD seems to be a reality, but much less frequent than in youths. Impulsivity, attention disorder, and emotional status are the main characters of the syndrome. We have no data leading to the responsibility of psychostimulant treatment in substance use disorders in teenage or adulthood. Implications of early versus late onset of ADHD symptoms are not clear. Early onset (before 7) seems to be associated with worse clinical outcomes.