Health

ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Holding Hands?

People with ADHD are four times more likely to suffer from generalized anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.

One in four adults aged 20-39 years with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new nationally representative study Generalized anxiety disorder People with (GAD) and ADHD are four times more likely to develop GAD at some point in their lives when compared to those who do not. ADHD..

Other related factors such as socio-demographics, adversity childhood experience, and the life history of substance use disorders and major depressive disorders were controlled. People with ADHD were more than twice as likely to still have GAD.

“The results of these findings are ADHD Generalized anxiety disorder. There are many studies linking adult ADHD to depression and suicidal tendencies, but less attention is paid to general disability and other adverse consequences of the entire life course, “said lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson. I am saying. Fuller-Thomson is a professor of Factor Inwentash Social Work at the University of Toronto and director of the Life Courses & Aging Institute.

Investigators surveyed a nationally representative sample of 6898 respondents from the Canadian Community Health Survey-mental health between the ages of 20 and 39. Of the subjects surveyed, 272 were ADHD and 682 were GAD. They found that female respondents with ADHD had nearly five-fold higher odds for GAD, even after controlling other covariates.

“ADHD has been badly underdiagnosed and undertreated in girls and women,” said Andie MacNeil, a co-author of the Master of Social Work, a graduate of the University of Toronto. “These findings suggest that women with ADHD may also be more likely to experience anxiety, emphasizing the need for greater support for women with ADHD.”

In addition, adults who have experienced childhood sexual or physical abuse or harmful childhood experiences such as chronic parents. domestic violence Generalized anxiety disorder is three times more likely, and 60% of ADHD patients with anxiety disorder have experienced at least one of these adverse childhood experiences.

Having less than $ 40,000 in income, less close ties, and a lifetime history of major depressive disorder was one of the other factors associated with GAD in adults with ADHD. With a lifetime history of major depressive disorder, the odds of GAD in ADHD patients were six times higher.

“These results highlight the importance of screening for mental illness and coping with depressive symptoms in supporting patients with ADHD,” said MSW, a social worker at the University of Toronto, Toronto General Hospital. Lauren Carrique, a recent graduate of the program, said. “Individuals experiencing ADHD, GAD, and depression are a particularly vulnerable subgroup that may require targeted outreach by health professionals.”

References

1. Fuller-Thomson E, Carrique L, MacNeil A. Generalized anxiety disorder in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Affect Disord.. 2021; S0165-0327 (21) 01096-X.

2. University of Toronto. Adults with ADHD are four times more likely to suffer from generalized anxiety disorder. news release. November 18, 2021. Accessed on December 13, 2021. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/935302

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ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Holding Hands?