How Comorbid Conditions Increase Risk of Depression

Name: How Comorbid Conditions Increase Risk of Depression
Uploaded: 2022-09-20T17:44:49-04:00
Description: Comorbid conditions are two disorders that happen to occur at the same time. Many people with ADHD have one or more additional diagnoses, such as depression, substance abuse disorders, a learning disability, ODD, or some other condition. In this video, Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D. explains more.

Comorbid conditions are two disorders that happen to occur at the same time. Many people with ADHD have one or more additional diagnoses, such as depression, substance abuse disorders, a learning disability, ODD, or some other condition. In this video, Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D. explains more.

By Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D., ADDitude Editors Verified Updated on September 20, 2022

Physicians once considered ADHD a standalone condition. We now know that ADHD rarely travels alone. A majority of people have ADHD plus another comorbid, or associated, condition — most commonly:

Depression
Anxiety
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Bipolar Disorder
Binge Eating Disorder
Substance Use Disorder
Learning Disability

Sometimes these problems are “secondary” to ADHD — meaning, they are triggered by the frustration of coping with symptoms of ADHD. When the symptoms don’t resolve with ADHD treatment, they are often signs of a comorbid condition.

In the video, from his ADDitude webinar titled “The ADHD-Depression Connection in Adults: Understanding the Link, Distinct Symptoms, and First-Line Treatments,” Roberto Olivardia, Ph.D., explains how comorbid conditions increase the risk of depression.