Conceptualizing adult ADHD with the DSM Alternative Model of Personality Disorder

Personality traits and personality disorders are related to ADHD and to indicate dysfunction in clinical populations. The goals of this study were to examine how the DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorder (AMPD) a) indicate presence of ADHD and b) communicate information about dysfunction over and above ADHD diagnosis. A sample of 330 adult psychiatric patients with and without ADHD (60% female; mean age 33 years) were assessed for ADHD symptoms, personality impairment, maladaptive personality traits, and functional life impairment domains. The maladaptive personality domain Disinhibition and particularly the lower order facet of Distractibility distinguished between individuals with psychiatric difficulties with and without ADHD. Distractibility is strongly related to the ADHD symptom dimension Inattentiveness, and Antagonism to Hyperactivity/impulsivity. General personality impairment augmented ADHD diagnosis in predicting life impairments. The AMPD has utility in ADHD assessments for diagnosis and prognosis.