Samenvatting richtlijn ‘Herkenning en behandeling van ADHD bij (jong)volwassenen met verslaving’

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• Various guidelines are available for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adults, but not for patients with ADHD and a comorbid substance use disorder (SUD).

• In 2010, the Addiction Medicine Working Party, a division of the VAD (Vereniging voor Alcohol- en andere Drugproblemen / Association for Alcohol and other Drug Problems) developed a practice guideline on how, when and by whom ADHD can be diagnosed in patients with an addiction, and how these patients should be treated.

• Given the high prevalence of ADHD in treatment-seeking SUD patients and the availability of valid screening instruments, all SUD patients should be screened for ADHD as soon as their drug use has stabilized.

• Acquiring information from external sources as well as clinical observation and questionnaires are important tools for the establishment of the diagnosis of ADHD.

• Integrated treatment primarily includes psycho-education, coaching and cognitive behavioural therapy in addition to pharmacotherapy.

• Evidence-based treatments for addiction may also be effective in patients with concomitant ADHD, provided the methods are adapted to the limitations that are associated with this condition.