Dorien Bangma

Abstract Objectives : Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to make poor (life) decisions and to engage in risky activities than individuals without ADHD. This appears to be related to problems in the decision-making process. Whilst deficits in decision making have been well-established in children and adolescents with ADHD, relatively little is known about decision making in the adult population. The aim of this review is therefore to determine the nature and extent of potential deficits in the decision making of adults with ADHD. Methods : The existing literature, comparing the performance of adults with ADHD on decision-making tasks with the performance of a healthy control group, was systematically searched, using the databases PsycINFO, MEDLINE and PubMed. In total, 31 studies were included in the review. Results & conclusion : In the majority of the studies (i.e., 55%), the performance of adults with ADHD deviated from the performance of the control group(s) in one or more of the decision-making tasks at hand. This review therefore cautiously provides evidence of differences in the decision making between healthy individuals and adults with ADHD. The substantial inconsistency in the findings is suggested to partly be explained by the variety of decision-making domains that were examined, the comorbid disorders of the participants, and the use of medication in the ADHD groups. The review concludes with a discussion of the implications that the present findings have for theories about the underlying mechanisms of ADHD.