Oppositional defiant and conduct disorder in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: child and adolescent profiles, diagnostic aids, cognitive markers and implications for the future DSM nomenclature

This research represents the first investigation into the neuro-cognitive profiles of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents, particularly in ADHD comorbid with Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorder. The results supported a revision of the definition for ADHD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Specifically, the results supported previous claims that ADHD comorbid with Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorder constitutes a separate pathological entity in adolescence, and should be classified as such. In childhood, results suggested that a dimensional approach to ADHD diagnosis was more appropriate, which would also help to identify 'at-risk' individuals.