Original title: Self-Reported ADHD Among Portuguese Medical Residents: Medication Use, Psychiatric Comorbidities, and Perceived Professional Impact
The researchers asked Portuguese medical residents about ADHD, medication, other mental health conditions, and work impact. They used an anonymous online questionnaire, including a checklist for adult ADHD symptoms. Of 225 residents, 84 reported diagnosed or suspected ADHD, and most in that group said it affected their work negatively. Some medication users reported getting medicine without a formal prescription or through a colleague or friend.
Imagine a group of residents trying to get help for a problem during a demanding training programme. Some find a clear route to an assessment, while others ask friends for help or go without a formal check. In this paper, those different routes stand for how residents reported being assessed and getting medication for ADHD, while their accounts of work impact show what they felt the problem meant on the job.
Residents are doctors in training, and unmanaged ADHD may affect both their work and wellbeing. The reported use of medication outside usual prescribing routes points to a need for clear ways to seek assessment and support in residency programmes.
The study is based on an anonymous questionnaire and self-reports, so it does not establish clinical ADHD diagnoses or verify medication use. Its cross-sectional design cannot show what caused the reported professional impact or how experiences change over time. The abstract does not establish whether these findings represent all Portuguese medical residents.
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Self-Reported ADHD Among Portuguese Medical Residents: Medication Use, Psychiatric Comorbidities, and Perceived Professional Impact — João P Azenha, Margarida Cândido, Joana T Domingos et al. — Cureus — doi:10.7759/cureus.117586
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.