Manpreet K. Singh, MD: The Challenge of Treating ADHD With Comorbidities

Treating ADHD can be challenging, largely because the disease often comes with other psychiatric comorbidities.

It is not uncommon for patients with ADHD to also have major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or a mood or personality disorder as well.

However, the challenge is in treatments and dosing and treating some of the symptoms between 2 psychiatric disorders that do not necessarily overlap.

Does treating the ADHD first make sense, should you treat all conditions simultaneously, or should you tackle the comorbidities before the ADHD?

In addition, should patients be screened for other psychiatric disorders when they are initially diagnosed with ADHD?

In an interview with HCPLive® Manpreet K. Singh, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, discussed what the optimal treatment plan is for patients with ADHD and other comorbidities.

Singh recently presented on this topic during the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (2023) Annual Meeting in Orlando on the intersection between ADHD and mood disorders, specifically bipolar disorder.

She said largely the attention issues is what may lead to some of the other psychiatric symptoms.

“I consider attention problems the gateway symptoms,” Singh said. “They tend to present very early when the brain is still developing and undergoing to key plasticity to be able to regulate emotions.”