Personality disorders refer to mental health disorders that can negatively affect how people view themselves and how they react to situations.  They are another common psychiatric comorbidity with ADHD.  

There are Group A, Group B, and Group C personality disorders.

- Depression
- Anxiety Disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- SUDs (Substance-Use Disorders)
- Personality Disorders

ADHD: Common Psychiatric Comorbidities

ADHD and Personality Disorders

Symptoms of comorbid anxiety and ADHD present themselves differently depending on the age of the individual. They can impact an individual socially, emotionally, behaviorally, academically, and can even affect their health and wellbeing. 

ADHD and Anxiety Comorbidity

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been shown to have a high psychiatric comorbidity.  Substance abuse disorders are medical conditions that are characterized by problematic use of substances.  This abnormal substance use can have numerous negative effects, such as impaired control, interpersonal problems, as well as physical and psychological problems. 

It is said that the link between ADHD and SUDs exists due to an impairment of the reward system in the brains of those who have ADHD.

ADHD and Substance Use Disorders (SUDs)

- Katzman, M. A., Bilkey, T. S., Chokka, P. R., Fallu, A., & Klassen, L. J. (2017). Adult ADHD and comorbid disorders: clinical implications of a dimensional approach. BMC psychiatry, 17(1), 302. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1463-3
- Riglin, L., Leppert, B., Dardani, C., Thapar, A. K., Rice, F., O'Donovan, M. C., ... & Thapar, A. (2021). ADHD and depression: investigating a causal explanation. Psychological Medicine, 51(11), 1890-1897.
- Wilens, T. E., & Upadhyaya, H. P. (2007). Impact of substance use disorder on ADHD and its treatment. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 68(8), 27720.
- Zulauf, C. A., Sprich, S. E., Safren, S. A., & Wilens, T. E. (2014). The complicated relationship between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorders. Current psychiatry reports, 16, 1-11.

References: ADHD: Common Psychiatric Comorbidities

Depression, a mood disorder associated with strong feelings of dejection and dispiritedness, is a common psychiatric comorbidity with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  Due to the overlapping characteristics of both ADHD and depression, there are likely multiple causes that contribute to this relationship.

ADHD and Depression

ADHD and Bipolar Disorder are commonly comorbid with one another.  Bipolar Disorder is a mental health condition that affects one's moods.  One of these moods are known as "highs" or manic episodes that are characterized by feeling energetic, irritable, as well as moments of impulsivity.
Another mood is known as a "low" or a depressive episode.  Depressive episodes tend to consist of feelings of dejection, hopelessness, and detachment. 

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