Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and the shifting sands of psychiatric nosology

Abstract

Larsson et al provide epidemiological evidence for a genetic association between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and both bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and Hamshere and colleagues confirm the latter association with genome-wide data. Although a genetic link between ADHD and bipolar disorder has been hypothesised for over a decade, the association with schizophrenia fills a notable gap in the literature. This editorial discusses the implications of these findings for clinicians, who must address psychiatric comorbidity in their treatment formulations, and researchers who are learning that the discrete categorical diagnoses of our diagnostic systems may not be up to the task of clarifying the causes and cures of psychopathology.