Xavier University

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

Comorbidity between ADHD and anxiety disorders across the lifespan 

Individuals are more likely to struggle with social skills and situations if they have both ADHD and an anxiety disorder than those who just have one of the aforementioned conditions. In children, this often occurs in the form of social phobia. In adults, this can be seen in the tendency to develop unstable relationships. 

ADHD and Anxiety Comorbidity: Impact on Social Skills/Relationships

Children and adolescents who experience comorbid anxiety and ADHD are more likely to struggle academically. This may be because the symptoms impact their working memory, which in turn could make focusing on and completing school work more difficult. Furthermore, struggles with anxiety disorders, especially ones such as social phobia, makes students miss school more frequently. 

ADHD and Anxiety Comorbidity: Impact on Academics of Children and Teens 

In adults with ADHD and comorbid anxiety often experience difficulties sleeping which in turn can negatively impact their health, wellbeing, and functionality. They are more likely to develop delayed sleep syndrome, get less than six hours of sleep a night, and experience extreme tiredness during the day. Furthermore, those who experience sleep problems as a result of ADHD alone are more likely to develop a comorbid anxiety disorder. 

ADHD and Anxiety Comorbidity: Impact on Health and Wellbeing 

It is common for youth with ADHD to have a lower academic performance than their peers as well as struggle socially and emotionally. Young people likely feel a significant amount of stress and distress as a result. This could potentially be a factor in them developing a comorbid anxiety disorder. 

ADHD and Anxiety Comorbidity: Potential Environmental Causes 

Its important for clinicians to decipher whether an individual began showing symptoms of ADHD or anxiety first in order to determine the best way to go about treatment. If ADHD develops prior to anxiety, it is treated first to see if treating it will then subsequently improve the patient's anxiety symptoms. 

ADHD and Anxiety Comorbidity: Treatment 

- Comorbidity between ADHD and anxiety disorders across the lifespan 
- Comorbid ADHD: Implications for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents 

References for ADHD and Anxiety Comorbidity 

Studies suggest that children and adolescents with comorbid ADHD and anxiety are more likely to experience certain symptoms involving inattention than those with just ADHD. For instance, they are more likely to daydream,  have slower response times, and become confused more easily. They may also have more difficulty staying on task and have a hard time not responding to distractions in their environment. 

ADHD and Anxiety Comorbidity: Impact on Attention Span 

Emotional dysregulation can occur in individuals of all ages with comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety, but these problems are especially pronounced in adults. In addition to their existing anxiety, these individuals are more likely to develop depression and are at a greater risk of suicide.

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