Will population decreases in caffeine consumption unveil attention deficit disorders in adults?

Attention deficit disorders (ADD) represent the commonest behavior disorder observed in children but only recently has the persistence of these disorders into adulthood been acknowledged. As individuals with ADD enter adolescence and then adulthood some behavioral symptoms appear to cease, others become muted. This change has usually been attributed to physiological maturation. One environmental factor which may also contribute to the altered clinical picture is the regular ingestion of caffeine beginning in late adolescence. Caffeine has been found to alter the behavior of ADD children in a manner resembling more widely prescribed stimulant medications. If some adults with ADD have responded positively to caffeine ingestion then it would be predicted that increases in reports of ADD symptoms will escalate with the rapid decline in caffeine consumption in North America.