Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov 11;41(6):523-528.
doi: 10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_464_18. eCollection 2019 Nov-Dec.

Prevalence of Adult ADHD Co-morbidity in Alcohol Use Disorders in a General Hospital Setup

Somashekar Reddy Lohit  1 , Girish Nanjundappa Babu  2 , Shilpi Sharma  3 , Suprita Rao  2 , Beesanahalli Shanmukhappa Sachin  2 , Abhay Vishwas Matkar  2
Affiliations

Prevalence of Adult ADHD Co-morbidity in Alcohol Use Disorders in a General Hospital Setup

Somashekar Reddy Lohit et al. Indian J Psychol Med. .

Abstract

Background: Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) symptoms persisting into adulthood can influence the course and outcome of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of adult ADHD in patients admitted with AUDs in a general hospital setup.

Methods: In this study, 100 consecutive inpatients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) were evaluated for the diagnosis of ADHD. Patients with AUD were assessed with Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol and Adult ADHD Self Report Scale. Among the subjects who screened positive for adult ADHD on ASRS, diagnosis of adult ADHD was confirmed using the DSM 5 diagnostic interview. Epi-Info Version 7.2 was used for data entry and analysis. Mann Whitney test and Chi-square test (or Fisher's Exact test) were used for statistical analysis.

Results: Twenty-one subjects screened positive for adult ADHD. Among them, 19 subjects had a confirmative diagnosis of adult ADHD. Patients with adult ADHD comorbid with AUDs showed accelerated progression towards dependence, and early relapses.

Conclusions: In all, 19% of treatment-seeking inpatients with AUDs have co-morbid adult ADHD. Regular screening of AUD patients for adult ADHD and addressing the psychopathology may improve the treatment outcome.

Keywords: Adult ADHD; Adult ADHD is a common co-morbidity in subjects with alcohol use disorders.; alcohol use disorder; prevalence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Ganesh S, Kandasamy A, Sahayaraj US, Benegal V. Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in patients with substance use disorders: A study from Southern India. Indian J Psychol Med. 2017;39:59–62. - PMC - PubMed
    1. van de Glind G, Konstenius M, Koeter MW, van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen K, Carpentier PJ, Kaye S, et al. Variability in the prevalence of adult ADHD in treatment seeking substance use disorder patients: Results from an international multi-centre study exploring DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2014;134:158–66. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Daigre Blanco C, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Valero S, Bosch R, Roncero C, Gonzalvo B, et al. Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) symptom checklist in patients with substance use disorder. Actas Esp Psiquiatr. 2009;37:299–305. - PubMed
    1. VanEmmerik-van Oortmerssen K, van de Glind G, van den Brink W, Smit F, Crunelle CL, Swets M, et al. Prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in substance use disorder patients: A meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2012;122:11–9. - PubMed
    1. Arias AJ, Gelernter J, Chan G, Weiss RD, Brady KT, Farrer L, et al. Correlates of co-occurring ADHD in drug-dependent subjects: Prevalence and features of substance dependence and psychiatric disorders. Addict Behav. 2008;33:1199–207. - PMC - PubMed