Comorbidity of common psychiatric disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Chinese adults.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the comorbidity and influencing factors of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with other psychiatric disorders in Chinese adults.

METHODS

Adult patients (n = 3772) diagnosed with schizophrenia (SCZ), major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD), and general anxiety disorder (GAD) were enrolled in 29 sites from Oct 2022 to Jan 2024. A custom questionnaire including demographics, the Adult ADHD Symptoms Rating Scale v1.1 (ASRS), the Adult ADHD Quality of Life Questionnaire (AAQoL), the 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24), the 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA-14), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and the positive and negative symptom scale (PANSS) were collected.

RESULTS

There were 490 patients (12.99 %) with comorbid ADHD. These individuals were more likely to be single, relatively younger, and have higher education. In addition, they reported more frequent drinking and smoking, earlier ages of onset, and more severe psychiatric symptoms. Drinking was identified as an independent factor in adult ADHD.

CONCLUSION

ADHD exhibits high comorbidity rates with a spectrum of psychiatric conditions, notably mood disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder), anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Screening for adult ADHD may need to become part of the assessment of individuals with those disorders, especially those with early onset, long duration of illness, high number of episodes, history of smoking and drinking, and severe symptoms of illness.