Impact of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder on the Post-detoxification Alcohol Relapse Rate

Some recent studies have found that adult attention deficit - hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was frequent among patients with alcohol-dependence. However, no investigation has ever addressed whether ADHD may impact the drinking outcome.

Moreover, most of the different aforementioned studies assessed ADHD using the ADHD self-report scale (ASRS). The ASRS is a screening questionnaire that is of limited diagnostic value, and the overrepresentation of high-score ASRS among patients with alcohol-dependence could be in part due to differential diagnoses such as antisocial or borderline personality disorders, executive function impairments, or isolated impulsiveness.

The study aims to evaluate "ADHD: Gaps between patients with Alcohol Dependence and Impact on early Relapse" (AGADIR). In AGADIR, subjects with alcohol-dependence are recruited at the end of a residential detoxification program. They are assessed for ADHD using the ASRS, but also with a standardized diagnostic tool, i.e., the Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in adults (DIVA 2.0). Potential differential diagnoses are screened during the baseline visit. The patients are followed-up during the 12 first post-detox weeks, through a standardized psychosocial treatment. ASRS is re-performed at the end of the follow-up.