Professional Baseball Player Shane Victorino Raises Awareness of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Young Adults and Adults Through "Own It" Initiative

PHILADELPHIA, May 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Through a national education initiative called "Own It," Shane Victorino, a professional baseball player, is helping raise awareness of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in young adults and adults. Supported by two patient advocacy groups and made possible by Shire, "Own It" encourages young adults and adults who were previously diagnosed with ADHD to take a quiz and get reassessed by their doctor to determine if the symptoms – inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity(1) – are still impacting them.

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"Early in my career, I had trouble focusing, and I was always interrupting my teammates. My coach approached me and asked if I had trouble focusing when I was growing up. I told him I had ADHD as a kid, but thought that I had outgrown it," said Shane Victorino. "After that conversation, I went to the doctor, who confirmed that I still had ADHD. I am not ashamed of my ADHD and am excited to be a part of this educational effort to help other young adults and adults take ownership of their ADHD."

Victorino shares his personal experience with ADHD and encourages young adults and adults to take a quiz at www.OwnYourADHD.com to help recognize ADHD symptoms and talk with their doctor. This educational initiative is further supported by online, mobile, print, and broadcast awareness-raising efforts.

"Own It" is supported by the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) and Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), two organizations committed to raising awareness of ADHD. CHADD and ADDA released the following joint statement: "We're very pleased that Shane Victorino is telling his story about ADHD.  We hope it will inspire others previously diagnosed with ADHD as a child to take an online quiz and talk with their doctor about how ADHD symptoms may be affecting them as young adults or adults."

About ADDA

The Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) is the world's leading adult ADHD organization. Their mission is to provide information, resources and networking opportunities to help adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) lead better lives. Since its inception over 20 years ago, ADDA has grown to become the source for information and resources exclusively for and about the adult ADHD community.

About CHADD

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) has been making a difference for people affected by ADHD for 25 years. CHADD works to improve the lives of both children and adults with ADHD through public policy advocacy, parent and teacher training programs, Attention magazine and the CHADD website, and the National Resource Center on ADHD. As the leading national nonprofit organization serving people with ADHD and their families, CHADD has over 200 local chapters throughout the United States that offer information and support for adults, parents, teachers, professionals, and others.

ABOUT ADHD

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurobehavioral disorder that manifests as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development.(1),(2)

ADHD is one of the most common childhood psychiatric disorders. (3) Although many people tend to think of ADHD as a childhood problem, 60% to 85% of children with ADHD may continue to meet the criteria for the disorder during their teenage years. Nearly 50% of children with ADHD may continue to meet the criteria for the disorder into adulthood, based on parent-report.(3) The disorder is estimated to affect 4.4% of US adults aged 18 to 44 based on results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication.(4) When this percentage is extrapolated to the full US population aged 18 and over, approximately 10 million adults are estimated to have ADHD.(5)

The specific etiology of ADHD is unknown, and there is no single diagnostic test for this disorder. (3) Adequate diagnosis requires the use of medical and special psychological, educational, and social resources, utilizing diagnostic criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR®) or International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10).(1),(2),(3)

Although there is no cure for ADHD, there are accepted treatments that have been demonstrated to improve symptoms. Standard treatments include educational approaches, psychological therapies which may include behavioral modification, and/or medication.(3)

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Notes to editors

SHIRE PLC

Shire's strategic goal is to become the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician.  Shire focuses its business on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, human genetic therapies, gastrointestinal diseases and regenerative medicine as well as opportunities in other therapeutic areas to the extent they arise through acquisitions.  Shire's in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are focused on products in specialist markets with strong intellectual property protection and global rights.  Shire believes that a carefully selected and balanced portfolio of products with strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales forces will deliver strong results.

For further information on Shire, please visit the Company's website: www.shire.com.

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References:

(1) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed., Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR®). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2000:85-93.

(2) International Classification of Diseases, Tenth revision, (ICD-10). World Health Organization; 2007: Chapter 5, F90. http://www.who.int/classifications/apps/icd/icd10online/. Accessed April 25, 2012.

(3) Pliszka S and the AACAP Work Group on Quality Issues. Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007;46(7):894-921.

(4) Kessler RC, Adler L, Barkley R, et al. The prevalence and correlates of adult ADHD in the United States: results from the national comorbidity survey replication. Am J Psychiatry. 2006;163:716-723.

(5) Annual Estimates of the Population by Selected Age Groups and Sex for the United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 (NC-EST2005-02). Population Division, US Census Bureau 2009;1-4. http://www.census.gov/popest/. Accessed April 25, 2012.

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