ADHD Increases Risk of Anorexia, Schizophrenia, Depression: Study

ADHD may be a risk factor for developing depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions, a study suggests.

Publishing their findings in BMJ Mental Health on Tuesday, researchers at the University of Augsburg in Germany found that people with the genetic profile that puts them at higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were more likely to develop other conditions.

These included bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia and clinical depression to see if ADHD was linked as a causal factor to these other diagnoses. 

They determined that genes associated with ADHD were a risk factor for developing anorexia nervosa and clinical depression. Additionally, they also found evidence that clinical depression may have a link to developing ADHD. 

When researchers  adjusted their analysis to account for the prevalence of depression, they also found evidence that the risk of a suicide attempt or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were higher if someone had genes associated with ADHD. 

The benefit of this method of analysis is that scientists can more accurately determine the causes of a certain phenomenon. In an observational study, it can be very difficult to tease out whether, for example, anorexia nervosa increases one’s risk for ADHD, or if ADHD increases one’s risk for anorexia. This method allowed the researchers to determine with more certainty that the genes associated with ADHD increased the risk of anorexia. 

However, the study only analyzed people of European descent, so the authors caution that these results may not be applicable to other ethnic groups. Additionally, the exact genetics of ADHD are not completely understood. 

Nevertheless, the authors say that their findings show that mental health practitioners should be aware that their patients with ADHD may be at risk for other mental health problems.

”This study opens new insights into the paths between psychiatric disorders. Thus, in clinical practice, patients with ADHD should be monitored for the psychiatric disorders included in this study and preventive measures should be initiated if necessary,” researchers  wrote.