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ADHD and dysthymic disorder: Toward understanding this common comorbidity in children and adolescents

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Current Attention Disorders Reports

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dysthymic disorder (DD) are common childhood psychiatric disorders that have a greater-than-chance association. To date, their relationship has not been systematically examined despite their frequent co-occurrence in children and adolescents referred to clinical health services. This article defines ADHD and DD, reviews their characteristics, and outlines the emerging evidence from phenomenological and cognitive neuroscience studies regarding their association. ADHD and, separately, DD are significant drivers for oppositional defiant disorder symptoms in children and adolescents. ADHD and DD both have elevated levels of neurological subtle signs, spatial working memory deficits, and right frontal-striatal-parietal underactivation compared with healthy control participants. ADHD and DD both also have elevated levels of parental psychopathology, with the comorbid group having significantly higher levels than those with ADHD or DD alone. We explore the clinical implications of these findings.

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  1. Academic Child Psychiatry Unit, Royal Children’s Hospital, University of Melbourne, Gatehouse Street, Parkville VIC 3052, Melbourne, Australia

    Alasdair Vance

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  1. Alasdair Vance
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  2. Jo Winther
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Correspondence to Alasdair Vance.

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Vance, A., Winther, J. ADHD and dysthymic disorder: Toward understanding this common comorbidity in children and adolescents. Curr Atten Disord Rep 1, 145–151 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12618-009-0020-5

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