Symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can significantly improve or resolve for many people if they stay engaged in demanding work or school activities, a recent study suggests. Margaret Sibley, lead author of both studies and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said she was surprised by the association between living a demanding life and improved symptoms. 64 percent experienced fluctuations, including partial to complete remission.
Remission began emerging in early adolescence, around age 12. Two types were identified: complete remission with minimal symptoms and partial remission, meaning the person still experienced milder issues. Nearly 11 percent were “stable persistent” and met the criteria for ADHD every year of the study.
15.6 percent were categorized as “stable partial remission,” with one classification change from persistent ADHD to partial remission that continued until the study’s conclusion. 9.
1 percent achieved complete remission that lasted through at least two consecutive assessments without subsequent episodes of recurrence. “If you’re a doctor talking with a patient who is first getting diagnosed with ADHD, it’s a huge help for that person to hear the message that ‘You’re going to have good years and you’re going to have not-so-good years, but things can go really well for you if you can get the right factors in place,’” Sibley said in the press r.
