The identification and treatment of adult brain dysfunction

Abstract

The authors hypothesize that adults who have had minimal brain dysfunction as children constitute a distinct diagnostic entity, adult brain dysfunction (ABD), which may exist alone or with a variety of other psychiatric syndromes. Patients with ABD share a basic impairment in ability to focus attention effectively; they may have different personality structures, symptom complexes, and behavioral patterns. However, with medication that corrects this impairment, remarkable improvement in the presenting symptoms and in the ability to work in therapy may occur, leading to changes in personality structure and behavior.