Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T06:05:23.310Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Is ADHD severity in adults associated with the lifetime prevalence of comorbid depressive episodes and anxiety disorders?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

V. Simon*
Affiliation:
Semmelweis University, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Balassa u.6., 1083Budapest, Hungary
P. Czobor
Affiliation:
Semmelweis University, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Balassa u.6., 1083Budapest, Hungary Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York, USA
I. Bitter
Affiliation:
Semmelweis University, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Balassa u.6., 1083Budapest, Hungary
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +36 1 2100 330; fax: +36 1 2100 336. E-mail address:[email protected] (V. Simon).
Get access

Abstract

Purpose:

The objective of the present study was to examine the association between ADHD severity and the lifetime prevalence of comorbid depressive episodes and anxiety disorders in adults with ADHD.

Subjects/materials and methods:

Analyses were based on data of the Conner's Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS) and a parent study examining the epidemiology of adult ADHD in 17 GP practices in Budapest, Hungary. Subjects between 18 and 60 years were included in the screening phase (n = 3529). Out of 279 positively screened subjects 161 participated in a clinical interview and completed the CAARS to confirm the diagnosis. We applied four diagnostic criteria: “DSM-IV”; “No-onset” (DSM-IV criteria without the specific requirement for onset); “Symptoms-only” (DSM-IV symptom criterion only); and “Reduced symptoms-only” (DSM-IV symptom criterion with a reduced threshold for symptom count). The MINI PLUS 5.0 was used to assess psychiatric comorbidity.

Results:

ADHD severity, as measured by the CAARS ADHD Index, showed a significant positive association with the prevalence of comorbid depressive episodes in all but the “ADHD_No-onset” group (“DSM-IV”: F[1.23] = 8.39, P = 0.0081; “No-onset”: F(1.27) = 0.97, P = 0.3346; “Symptoms-only”: F[1.55] = 30.79, P < 0.0001; “Reduced symptoms-only”: F(1.62) = 26.69, P < 0.0001).

Discussion and conclusion:

Results indicate that ADHD symptom severity increases in association with lifetime comorbidity with depression.

Type
Original article
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Almeida Montes, LG, Hernandez Garcia, AO, Ricardo-Garcell, JADHD prevalence in adult outpatients with nonpsychotic psychiatric illnesses. J Atten Disord 2007;11:150156.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
American Psychiatric, , Association, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed.Washington, DC: APA; 1994.Google Scholar
Balázs, J, Kiss, K, Szádóczky, E, Bolyós Cs, , Laczkó, K, Szabó, J, et al.Validation study of the MINI Plus and the DIS interviews (Hungarian). Psychiatr Hung 2001;16:511.Google Scholar
Barkley, RAAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a handbook for diagnosis and treatment. Guilford: New York; 2006.Google Scholar
Barkley, RA, Fischer, M, Smallish, L, Fletcher, KThe persistence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder into young adulthood as a function of reporting source and definition of disorder. J Abnorm Psychol 2002;111:279289.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Biederman, JImpact of comorbidity in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. J Clin Psychiatry 2004;65(Suppl. 3):37.Google ScholarPubMed
Biederman, J, Faraone, SV, Spencer, T, Wilens, T, Norman, D, Lapey, KA, et al.Patterns of psychiatric comorbidity, cognition, psychosocial functioning in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am J Psychiatry 1993;150:17921798.Google ScholarPubMed
Biederman, J, Faraone, SV, Spencer, T, Wilens, T, Mick, E, Lapey, KAGender differences in a sample of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatry Res 1994;53:1329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biederman, J, Faraone, SV, Milberger, S, Guite, J, Mick, E, Chen, LA prospective four-year follow-up study of attention deficit hyperactivity and related disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1996;53:437446.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biederman, J, Mick, E, Faraone, SV, Spencer, T, Wilens, TE, Wozniak, JPediatric mania: a developmental subtype of bipolar disorder?. Biol Psychiatry 2000;48:458466.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Biederman, J, Faraone, SV, Monuteaux, MC, Bober, M, Cadogen, EGender effects on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults, revisited. Biol Psychiatry 2004;55:692700.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biederman, J, Kwon, A, Aleardi, M, Chouinard, VA, Marino, T, Cole, H, et al.Absence of gender effects on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: findings in non-referred subjects. Am J Psychiatry 2005;162:10831089.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biederman, J, Ball, SW, Monuteaux, MC, Mick, E, Spencer, TJ, McCreary, M, et al.New insights into the comorbidity between ADHD and major depression in adolescent and young adult females. J Am Acad Child Adol Psychiatry 2008;47:426434.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bitter, I, Simon, V, Balint, S, Meszaros, A, Czobor, PHow do different diagnostic criteria, age and gender affect the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults? An epidemiological study in a Hungarian community sample. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2010;260:287296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conners, CK, Erhardt, D, Sparrow, EPConners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS). North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems Inc; 1999.Google Scholar
Cumyn, L, French, L, Hechtman, LComorbidity in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Can J Psychiatry 2009;54:673683.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faraone, SV, Biederman, JDo attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and major depression share familial risk factors?. J Nerv Ment Dis 1997;185:533541.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faraone, SV, Biederman, JWhat is the prevalence of adult ADHD? Results of a population screen of 966 adults. J Atten Dis 2005;9:384391.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faraone, SV, Biederman, J, Mennin, D, Wozniak, J, Spencer, TAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder with bipolar disorder: a familial subtype?. J Am Acad Child Adol Psychiatry 1997;36:13781387.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fayyad, J, De Graaf, R, Kessler, RC, Alonso, J, Angermeyer, M, Demyttenaere, K, De Girolamo, G, et al.Cross-national prevalence and correlates of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Br J Psychiatry 2007;190:402409.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Halmoy, A, Halleland, H, Dramsdahl, M, Bergsholm, P, Fasmer, OB, Haavik, JBipolar symptoms in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a cross-sectional study of 510 clinically diagnosed patients and 417 population-based controls. J Clin Psychiatry 2010;71:4857.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jacob, CP, Romanos, J, Dempfle, A, Heine, M, Windemuth-Kieselbach, C, Kruse, A, et al.Co-morbidity of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with focus on personality traits and related disorders in a tertiary referral center. Eur Arch Psych Clin Neurosci 2007;257:309317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaiser, HFThe application of electronic computers to factor analysis. Educ Psychol Meas 1960;20:141151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, RC, Adler, L, Ames, M, Barkley, RA, Birnbaum, H, Greenberg, P, et al.The prevalence and effects of adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder on work performance in a nationally representative sample of workers. J Occup Environ Med 2005;47:565572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, RC, Adler, L, Ames, M, Demler, O, Faraone, S, Hiripi, E, et al.The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS): a short screening scale for use in the general population. Psychol Med 2005;35:245256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, RC, Adler, L, Barkley, R, Biederman, J, Conners, CK, Demier, O, et al.The prevalence and correlates of adult ADHD in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Am J Psychiatry 2006;163:716723.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kooij, JJ, Buitelaar, JK, van den Oord, EJ, Furer, JW, Rijnders, CA, Hodiamont, PPInternal and external validity of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in a population-based sample of adults. Psychol Med 2005;35:817827.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Millstein, RB, Wilens, TE, Biederman, J, Spencer, TJPresenting ADHD symptoms and subtypes in clinically referred adults with ADHD. J Atten Dis 1997;2:159166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, KR, Barkley, RA, Bush, TYoung adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: subtype differences in comorbidity, educational, and clinical history. J Nerv Ment Dis 2002;190:147157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryden, E, Johansson, C, Blennow, K, Landen, M, Lower CSF, HVA and 5-HIAA in bipolar disorder type 1 with a history of childhood ADHD. J Neur Transm 2009;116:16671674.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sadock, BJ, Kaplan, HI, Sadock, VAKaplan and Sadock's synopsis of psychiatry: behavioral sciences/clinical psychiatry. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott and Williams 2002.Google Scholar
Sheehan, DV, Lecrubier, Y, Sheehan, KH, Amorim, P, Janavs, J, Weiller, EThe Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI): the development and validation of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview for DSM-IV and ICD-10. J Clin Psychiatry 1998;59:2233.Google ScholarPubMed
Simon, V, Czobor, P, Balint, S, Meszaros, A, Bitter, IPrevalence and correlates of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry 2009;194:204211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sobanski, E, Bruggemann, D, Alm, B, Kern, S, Deschner, M, Schubert, T, et al.Psychiatric comorbidity and functional impairment in a clinically referred sample of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2007;257:371377.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sonuga-Barke, EJCausal models of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: from common simple deficits to multiple developmental pathways. Biol Psychiatry 2005;57:12311238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spencer, TJ, Biederman, J, Mick, EAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis, lifespan, comorbidities, and neurobiology. J Pediatr Psychol 2007;32:631642.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sprafkin, J, Gadow, KD, Weiss, MD, Schneider, J, Nolan, EEPsychiatric comorbidity in ADHD symptom subtypes in clinic and community adults. J Atten Dis 2007;11:114124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tamam, L, Karakus, G, Ozpoyraz, NComorbidity of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder: prevalence and clinical correlates. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2008;258:385393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilens, TE, Biederman, J, Faraone, SV, Martelon, M, Westerberg, D, Spencer, TJPresenting ADHD symptoms, subtypes, and comorbid disorders in clinically referred adults with ADHD. J Clin Psychiatry 2009;70:15571562.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.