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ADHD with Coexisting Conditions

ADHD can carry serious consequences to the daily functioning of those affected. The presence of a comorbid condition can have an even more powerful cognitive and social impact on a patient's life.

Epidemiological studies show that patients with ADHD tend to have a high rate of coexisting psychiatric and learning disorders.1 Some common ones are:

  1. Anxiety and mood disorders: Common in pediatric patients with ADHD, and have been observed to increase in prevalence with increasing patient age.2
  2. Anxiety: Anxiety has been observed to coexist in as many as one-third of pediatric patients with ADHD.3 In another study, up to 50% of patients continued to show symptoms of the disorder into adulthood.4
  3. Depression: Depression and ADHD exist as comorbidities in a greater number of subjects with ADHD than would be expected. It has been found that 23% of hyperkinetic children had a lifetime diagnosis of depression as adults.1
  4. Conduct disorder: This has been widely established as a comorbid disorder in children with ADHD, in epidemiological, clinical, and follow-up studies, as well as genetic studies done in families.1
  5. Bipolar disorder: Bipolar disorder is 6 to 10 times more likely to occur in children with ADHD than in children in the normal population. Bipolar disorder is also one of the most serious and impairing comorbidities that can occur in children with ADHD.5

When considering ADHD patients with comorbid conditions, it is important to analyze all treatment options available to you. Click here for information on a non-stimulant option for the treatment of ADHD.

1. Wilens TE et al. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder across the lifespan. Annu Rev Med. 2002. 53:113-31.
2. Biederman J et al. A prospective 4-year follow-up study of attention-deficit hyperactivity and related disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1996 May;53(5):437-46.
3. Jensen PS et al. A 14-Month Randomized Clinical Trial of Treatment Strategies for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 1999 V56(12): 1073-1086.
4. Shekim WO et al. A clinical and demographic profile of a sample of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, residual state. Compr Psychiatry. 1990 Sep-Oct;31(5):416-25.
5. Barkley RA. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 1998.