title: Comorbidity between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder in a specialized mood disorders outpatient clinic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Comorbidity between ADHD and Bipolar Disorder (BD) is associated with greater severity of BD. The current study aims at investigating, in a specialized mood disorders clinic, the percentage of comorbid ADHD-BD subjects and assessing the impact of ADHD on the severity of BD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Out of 539 mood disorders subjects, the medical records of 138 BD subjects were scrutinized in terms of their clinical and demographic characteristics, and their scores at the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) Symptom Checklist were logged. Those positively scoring at the ASRS-v1.1 underwent clinical assessment by a senior psychiatrist specialized in ADHD. Comorbid ADHD-BD subjects were then compared with BD sufferers without ADHD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-three (45.65%) of the participants were screened positive at the ASRS-v1.1. 49 were clinically assessed for the presence of ADHD. Only 27 (55%) received a diagnosis of ADHD. Comorbid ADHD-BD subjects were found to be younger at the onset of BD, showed higher numbers of depressive episodes, more anxiety and substance use disorders, more borderline personality traits and greater cyclothymic temperament. Comorbid BD-ADHD subjects reported more childhood emotional abuse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some subjects were unreachable and thus not clinically assessed for ADHD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than 20% of BD subjects were suffering from ADHD. The comorbidity of the two disorders was associated with worse outcomes, possibly resulting from stressful early-life events. More than 40% of the subjects who scored positively at the ASRS-v1.1 did not suffer from ADHD, which suggests that this scale should be used with caution in BD subjects.
authors: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: nader.perroud@hcuge.ch.
authors: Nader
authors: N
authors: Perroud
authors: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Cordera
authors: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Julien
authors: J
authors: Zimmermann
authors: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Giorgio
authors: G
authors: Michalopoulos
authors: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Victor
authors: V
authors: Bancila
authors: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Paco
authors: P
authors: Prada
authors: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Alexandre
authors: A
authors: Dayer
authors: Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Jean-Michel
authors: JM
authors: Aubry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003527:Cyclothymic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057566:Self Report; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013694:Temperament
keywords: ADHD; Bipolar disorder; Psychiatry