[Survey of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults]

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) represents a serious illness which involves impairments in childhood and adolescence that are of considerable importance for the process of social adaptation and thus the development of social competence. If left untreated this leads in a high percentage of cases to disturbances which seriously affect all areas of life reaching into adulthood. Hence, it makes sense and is necessary that adequate treatment is carried out preferably during childhood and adolescence and also at an adult age. Due to the persistence of the disorder in adults with ADHS, various problems arise in formulating expert opinions in conjunction with criminal, social and civil law, in road traffic law and within the scope of conscription. They result from the essential symptoms of ADHS like inattentiveness, overactivity and impulsiveness, but also particularly from the diverse comorbidities.