What Is to Be the Fate of ADHD Subtypes? An Introduction to the Special Section on Research on the ADHD Subtypes and Implications for the DSM–V

Abstract

One of the major questions facing the taxonomy of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is how to handle its marked heterogeneity in symptom presentation and impairments. The current methods for defining subtypes have been widely criticized but it is unclear if the subtype concept is fundamentally flawed or whether it is the methods for designating subtypes in current diagnostic approaches which are flawed. The current article is an introduction to a special section in which four articles provide data illustrating the complexity of considerations involving subtyping of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and provide ideas for alternatives that warrant further discussion and examination.