Adult psychiatric diagnosis and symptoms compatible with the hyperactive child syndrome: a retrospective study

Characteristics of the hyperactive child syndrome have been described extensively. More recently, reports have indicated that manifestation of the hyperactive child syndrome may persist into adulthood, both as a continuation of childhood symptoms and as psychopathologic entities. This study evaluated 100 adult psychiatric inpatient Veterans for self-report of symptoms of childhood and adulthood hyperactivity, attentional deficit, and impulsivity. Psychotic and non-psychotic psychiatric patients reported a significantly higher incidence of childhood hyperactive syndrome symptoms than did age and sex matched controls. In both childhood and adulthood, character disorder patients reported the highest incidence of target symptoms.