Factors associated with a positive occupational outcome during long-term central stimulant treatment in adult ADHD

There is a lack of long-term studies of central stimulant (CS) treatment in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and studies on functional outcomes like occupational status are rare. The current study investigated occupational status in adult ADHD patients before and after long-term CS treatment (median duration of treatment 33 months) and aimed to identify variables associated with improvement in occupational status. The collection of data was based on a naturalistic, retrospective approach using the medical records of a sample of all 117 adult ADHD patients consecutively starting treatment with CS in a specific catchment area in Norway in the period 1997 to May 2005. Most patients did not improve in occupational status during long-term CS treatment. The improved group had significantly higher baseline ADHD symptoms as measured by the general adult ADD symptom checklist (83.7 vs. 76.2, p = 0.024) and had a significantly shorter period from the first contact with adult psychiatry until they got the ADHD diagnosis (11.7 vs. 50.9 months, p = 0.001). The results indicate that long-term CS treatment itself may have limited effect on occupational status in functionally impaired and highly comorbid patients with adult ADHD. A high baseline ADHD symptom level may be related to a superior outcome in occupational status.