Wednesday, August 20, 2008

ADHD in the Workplace

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in the Workplace Originally, ADHD was thought of as primarily affecting children. A recent study by the Institute of Mental Health and Addiction in the Netherlands (one of the most respected research centers in the world) indicates it is now believed to persist into adulthood and, as a result, the workplace. The study concludes that adult ADHD affects “sufferers’ concentration so badly that they lose three weeks of work a year.” Further, the study states that ADHD “causes accidents and low job performance,” and that employers are beginning to screen workers for it and provide treatments when it is present. The study included 7,075 workers in ten countries, including the U.S. The study claims that an average of 3.5 percent of those surveyed had ADHD. Skeptics of the study suggest that the diagnosis is all too frequently a device to help drug companies sell even more behavior-modifying drugs. So what do you think? Is ADHD a significant factor in workplace accidents? Or is this study suspect?