New study challenges adult-onset of ADHD

The new study, while smaller, mined more extensive medical histories than earlier work and found that most apparent cases of adult-onset ADHD are likely the result of substance abuse or mood problems

In just the past few years, researchers have identified what they believe is an adult version of attention deficit disorder: a restless inability to concentrate that develops spontaneously after high school, years after the syndrome typically shows itself, and without any early signs.
 
The proposed diagnosis — called adult-onset ADHD and potentially applicable to millions of people in their late teenage years or older — is distinct from the usual adult variety, in which symptoms linger from childhood.
 
Yet a new study suggests that adult-onset ADHD is rare — if it exists at all.
 
The paper, published