In this issue/abstract thinking: dimensional thinking and where to set the threshold?

摘要

It has been said that much in science is about challenging what seems to be obvious. One such "obvious" thing may be the notion that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a phenomenon exclusively occurring in children. This month's editorial by Dr. Hechtman (p. 533) provides an educative overview of the scientific progress in this field over the past few decades. It is fascinating to learn how much time and effort it took to arrive at the important conclusion that ADHD does occur in adults. The initial evidence was about the continuity of dysfunction-the fact that ADHD in youth predicted criminality and substance-use disorders (SUDs). It took time, longitudinal studies, and a lot of painstaking work to establish the continuity of ADHD symptoms into adulthood. Now we need to learn what predicts persistence or desis-tance and how one could modify such developmental trajectories. Several of the articles in this issue provide evidence in this direction.