ADHD and the Importance of Comorbid Disorders in the Psychosocial Development of Children and Adolescents

The attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most common disorders in the childhood and adolescence population, but also in the reproductive period, affects and influences learning, social relations and their quality of life. There are strong neuropathological similarities between ADHD and various concomitant psychiatric conditions. ADHD frequently coexists with learning and language disabilities, sleep disorders, impulse control personality and anxiety disorders, intellectual disability, substance use disorders and mood disorders, as well as autism spectrum disorders and tic disorders. The overlapping symptoms of ADHD and other morbidities constitute challenges but also an imperative need for the experts to be able to detect and clarify so as to achieve the proper diagnosis and the relative treatment. The expression of the disease differs accordingly depending on the age group and the presence of comorbidities. In school-age, symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. In adolescence, depending on the gender, hyperactivity decreases but the problems in learning and psychopathology still remain. Therefore, it is recommended that when ADHD coexists with other psychopathologies in childhood and adolescence to first and directly treat the most weakened condition so that the child or the adolescent can change the course of their psychiatric morbidity and improve their ability to function and socialize.