ADHD & Comorbid Disorders in Adults

By Aaron Turpen, Thu, June 07, 2012

While the number of children affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is estimated at 3 to 6 percent, the number of adults is not as well measured, but is generally considered to be under 2 percent.

Of those adults with ADHD, most are likely suffering from comorbid disorders, usually including depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

"Comorbid" means disorders that are present in addition to the primary disorder.

Studies involving adults with ADHD that include a social anxiety test often show a high relative level of generalized anxiety, often leading to comorbid conditions in ADHD.

The 'Pile On' Effect

Many researchers and experts in the neurological field who study ADHD believe that the neurobiologic abnormalities that are a part of the disorder are contributing to other problems that are then exacerbated by the social anxieties that ADHD can also cause. This "pile on" effect often creates comorbid disorders that manifest as worse in adults than in children because of the longer-term social thinking that adults have.

When given an OCD test, for example, many adults with ADHD rank far higher in risk of having a compulsion than do children.

The current research seems to be showing that rather than be an "addition to" or "secondary" issue with ADHD, OCD and similar anxiety-based disorders are often existing side-by-side (concurrently) with ADHD. This view has given rise to different treatments than were available just a few years ago thanks to better diagnosis.

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