Related Disorders

Other disorders often accompany ADD once the diagnosis is confirmed. Some of the more common ones, in no particular order, are:

Anxiety Disorder and Depression - People with ADD may be some of the 18 million-plus people who suffer from Anxiety Disorder and Depression. Good news! Approximately 90 percent of those who seek help for anxiety and depression improve. And those who have effective ADD help get a handle not only on their ADD symptoms, but also with their anxiety and depression as a result.

Tourette’s Syndrome Disorder – Also known as Tourette Syndrome, Tourettes and Tourette Spectrum Disorder, this is a neurological disorder with symptoms that can include nervous or habitual mannerisms or muscle contortions, like rapid or exaggerated eye blinking and/ or twitching of parts of the face. Other symptoms may include clearing the throat a lot, sniffing or vocal disruptions or shouting out words (generally swearing). More adults and not many children have the disorder. However, many people who have Tourette’s Syndrome have ADD. The good news is that medication can help with behaviors for both.

Bipolar Disorder – This is noted as a psychiatric illness with some characteristics or symptoms that cross over into the area of ADD. Major Bipolar symptoms include mood swings with extreme highs and lows, and swings in behavior and thinking patterns. Some symptoms that crossover into the ADD area are high energy levels and decreased sleep.

Learning Disabilities – Also referred to as LD, this disorder affects up to 30 percent of children who have ADD. Some of the symptoms can include a different interpretation of what is seen or heard or the way things (concepts / ideas) are linked together or connected in the brain. In other words, learning to read and do math can be challenging if a person with LD has to learn with the same tools as the average person without LD. There can be speech, learning, skills or other sub-categories or focuses within the disorder. One main type is a reading disorder, dyslexia. Note: up to 8 percent of elementary school children have reading disabilities.

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