Comorbidity of Adult ADHD
Based on the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), 18.6% (SE=4.2%) of study participants with ADHD also had MDD, compared with 7.8% (SE=0.4%) who had MDD but did not have ADHD (OR=2.7; 95% CI, 1.5-4.9) (Table 2). All comorbid conditions were significantly greater in the ADHD populations but did not vary greatly across disorder class (OR=2.7-7.5 for mood disorders, 1.5-5.5 for anxiety disorders, 1.5-7.9 for substance use disorders, and 3.7 for intermittent explosive disorder). These results are based on 3,199 study participants aged18 to 44 who met the criteria for at
least one disorder assessed in part one of the NCS or who were included in part two as part of a probability subsample of other respondents (Kessler, 2006). A recent study reported even higher rates of comorbid depression and ADHD. with up to 24.4% in adults with ADHD (Fischer, 2006).
