2023-09-07 09:24:49
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – A new study has found that there is a link between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and high rates of depression, anorexia, or post-traumatic stress disorder, in addition to the risk of suicide attempts.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition that combines hyperactivity, inattention, and reckless behavior that interferes with daily functioning or development.
The study showed that people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are 30% more likely to attempt suicide, and 9% more likely to suffer from major depression, which only shows correlations and does not prove a direct cause and effect. Once people with ADHD become depressed, they are 42% more likely to attempt suicide.
“ADHD and suicidal behavior have genetic factors in common that may reflect genetic variants associated with impulsivity, which is a largely genetic trait,” said Dr. Dennis Frewer, the study’s lead author, a statistician and head of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Augsburg in Germany.
“Impulsivity is a key component of ADHD, and is closely linked to suicidal behavior,” Frewer told CNN. “Our study indicates that ADHD and major depressive disorder are risk factors for attempting suicide.”
Suffering from ADHD was associated with an increased chance of developing PTSD as well, by 18%. If a person suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression, his or her risk of developing PTSD increases by 67%.
Eating disorders associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
The study also found a direct link between ADHD and anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by a distorted body image, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a dangerously low body weight.
The new research did not show a relationship between major depression and the development of anorexia. Instead, Frewer explained, “The increased risk of anorexia nervosa can be entirely attributable to ADHD.”
Why is that? Frewer noted that the two conditions share a “neurocognitive deficit” centered around a lack of control over impulses.
Using genetics to determine risk
The researchers highlighted a link between ADHD and seven mental health conditions: anorexia nervosa, anxiety, bipolar disorder, major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and at least one suicide attempt.
Dr. James Greenblatt, an ADHD doctor and chief medical officer at Walden Behavioral Care in Waltham, Massachusetts, who was not involved in the study, told CNN that the study, which was published in the journal BMJ Mental Health on Tuesday, used a statistical method called randomization. Mendelian study, which relies on “genetic variation to assess the extent to which a particular risk factor affects a health outcome and how important it is.”
Study participants looked for a link between ADHD and seven mental health conditions: anorexia nervosa, anxiety, bipolar disorder, major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and at least one suicide attempt.
Frewer pointed out that while the research found a direct link between ADHD and the development of major depressive disorder, and that ADHD and major depressive disorder contributed “separately and jointly” to PTSD and suicide attempts, this is not the case. It did not apply to other chronic mental health conditions. “There is no evidence of a causal relationship between ADHD and bipolar disorders, anxiety (or) schizophrenia,” he said.
Genes are only one part of the puzzle
Greenblatt pointed out that genetics plays a role in the development of diseases or conditions that an individual suffers from, but the environment plays a big role in whether these genes are expressed or not.
He concluded, “For me, the essence of the study is that we now have the genetic link that is consistent with what we know through observation. What do we do with it? As a clinician, this reinforces the need to comprehensively diagnose and treat ADHD in children and adults.”
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