Decision 4: How can I best consider psychiatric comorbidities when evaluating a patient for ADHD?
Diagnosing a patient with ADHD is a complex and nuanced process. This 7-part guide highlights key considerations and decisions clinicians face along the way.
COMORBIDITIES: What comorbidities are associated with ADHD?
A: The two most common comorbidities associated with ADHD are depression and an anxiety disorder, like OCD or generalized anxiety disorder… | Keep reading on Medscape »
COMORBIDITIES: How can diagnosticians differentiate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and ADHD?
A: Studies find that 80 percent of people with attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) will have at least one other psychiatric disorder in their lifetime… | Keep reading on ADDitude »
ADHD AND DEPRESSION: What are the key distinctions between ADHD and depression?
A: Though ADHD and depression share similar symptoms, they are separate and distinct conditions with different treatment protocols. ADHD is a lifelong neurological disorder that impairs executive functions, attention, and self-control; depression is a mood disorder… | Keep reading on ADDitude »
ADHD, ODD, DMDD: How is ADHD distinct from oppositional defiant disorder and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder?
A: Moodiness is common with bipolar disorder, but it’s also common with ADHD, ODD, DMDD, and other neurobehavioral conditions. Differentiating one condition’s symptoms of moodiness from another is critical… | Keep reading on ADDitude »
ADHD AND BIPOLAR: How are the symptoms of ADHD and bipolar disorder often conflated?
A: The rates of misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis are particularly high among patients with bipolar symptoms; they are astronomical for patients with bipolar disorder plus ADHD… | Keep reading on ADDitude »
ADHD and OCD: What are the shared and distinct characteristics of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and ADHD?
A: To ensure an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment, clinicians must understand the unique interplay between OCD and ADHD, including how ADHD tends to present in patients with OCD… | Keep reading on ADDitude »
ADHD and RSD: How can diagnosing clinicians differentiate between rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) – the emotional highs and lows associated with ADHD – and the similar ups and downs of bipolar disorder?
A: Patients with ADHD — and, specifically, rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) — get triggered by a distinct event and then experience an intense but fleeting mood. People with bipolar disorder experience the random onset of a mood that lasts for weeks or months… | Keep reading on ADDitude »
RELATED RESOURCES
Treating Anxiety and Depression Alongside ADHD
Expert Webinar with Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D. | Listen now on ADDitude »
ADHD Irritability vs. DMDD vs. Bipolar Disorder
Expert Webinar with William French, M.D., DFAACAP| Listen now on ADDitude »
Why ADHD Is Mistaken for Bipolar Disorder in Women
Expert Webinar with Thomas Brown, Ph.D., and Ryan Kennedy | Listen now on ADDitude »
7-Week Guide to Differential Diagnosis of ADHD, from Medscape x MDedge x ADDitude:
DECISION 1: How can I better understand ADHD, its causes, and its manifestations?
DECISION 2: What do I need to understand about ADHD that is not represented in the DSM?
DECISION 3: How can I avoid the barriers and biases that impair ADHD diagnosis for underserved populations?
> DECISION 4: How can I best consider psychiatric comorbidities when evaluating for ADHD?
DECISION 5: How can I differentiate ADHD from the comorbidities most likely to present at school and/or work?
DECISION 6: How can I best consider trauma and personality disorders through the lens of ADHD?
DECISION 7: What diagnostic criteria and tests should I perform as part of a differential diagnosis for ADHD?
