Browsing by Author "Puhakka, Jasmin"

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity-disorder (ADHD) is a common developmental psychiatric disorder. The prevalence of ADHD in adults has estimated to be 4-70 %. The diagnostic criteria include symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. In addition, in adulthood the psychiatric comorbidities and emotional dysregulation are common. Emotional dysregulation appears in the form of low frustration tolerance, impatience, hot temper and swift changes in mood. The diagnosis of adult ADHD is based on the criteria applicable to children and adolescents, although the criteria do not apply well to adults. The symptoms of emotional dysregulation do not include in the current criteria for the diagnosis of ADHD, although the literature suggests that the overlap between ADHD and emotional dysregulation can be found in neuroanatomical and treatment levels of analysis. In this review, the neuroanatomical commonalities between ADHD and emotional dysregulation, and the question whether the same pharmacological and therapeutic treatment alleviates both types of symptoms when they co-occur, will be investigated. Furthermore, the relationship between ADHD, emotional dysregulation and psychiatric comorbidies will be explored. This review is based on the literature of ADHD and emotional dysregulation in adults. Keywords in the search were emotional dysregulation, emotion dysregulation, emotional deficits, impaired emotional regulation, deficient emotional self-regulation, ADHD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, core symptom, adult, neural correlates, neurocognitive, treatment, stimulants, psychotherapy. The articles where retrieved from Pub-Med, Psycinfo, Medline and Google Scholar. Some of the articles were found in the references of other papers. The evidence suggests that emotional dysregulation is associated with ADHD itself and the symptoms of emotional dysregulation seem not to manifest solely as a consequence of comorbidies. The same pharmacological and therapeutic treatments seem to alleviate both the classical ADHD symptoms and emotional dysregulation. The studies suggest that emotional dysregulation and ADHD are linked to distinct neural and cognitive deficits that overlap. This research suggests that emotional dysregulation may be a core feature of adult ADHD. Further research is needed to fully understand the particular ways the neuroanatomical mechanisms overlap in ADHD and emotional dysregulation. The overlap need to be considered in the context of clinical assessment, diagnostic criteria and treatment of adult ADHD.