Eat Weight Disord 2005 Mar; 10(1): e10-3 (Read article online)

Fleming JP, Levy LD, Levitan RD

OBJECTIVE: Past and current symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were assessed in a clinical sample of severely obese females. METHOD: Core symptoms of ADHD were examined in 75 consecutive, severely obese (BMI > or = 35) women referred to a medical specialist for the non-surgical treatment of obesity. Subjects completed both a retrospective report of childhood symptoms of ADHD (Wender Utah Scale) and two standardized adult ADHD symptom scales. RESULTS: The frequency of clinically suggestive elevations in ADHD scores was substantially and significantly higher than the normative samples in 9 out of 11 symptom subscales. Inattentive symptoms, but not hyperactive symptoms of ADHD, were frequently reported. Overall, 26.7% of the sample reported significant symptoms of ADHD in both childhood and adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests that severely obese women report significant symptomatology related to both childhood and adult ADHD.