The Presence of Childhood Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder May Be Associated With Interpersonal Sensitivity in Patients With Social Anxiety Disorder

The Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorder and ADHD in Adolescents and Adults: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

This review aimed to systematically gather empirical data on the link between social anxiety disorder and ADHD in both clinical and non-clinical populations among adolescents and adults.

METHOD

Literature searches were conducted in PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, resulting in 1,739 articles. After screening, 41 articles were included. Results were summarized using a narrative approach.

RESULTS

The prevalence of ADHD in adolescents and adults with SAD ranged from 1.1% to 72.3%, while the prevalence of SAD in those with ADHD ranged from 0.04% to 49.5%. Studies indicate that individuals with both SAD and ADHD exhibit greater impairments. All studies were judged to be of weak quality, except for two studies which were rated moderate quality.

DISCUSSION

Individuals with SAD should be screened for ADHD and vice versa, to identify this common comorbidity earlier. Further research is needed to better understand the prevalence of comorbid ADHD and SAD in adolescents.

Comorbidity in social anxiety disorder: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges

Comorbid disorders are highly prevalent in patients with social anxiety disorder, occurring in as many as 90% of patients. The presence of comorbidity may affect the course of the disease in several ways such as comorbidity in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) is related to earlier treatment-seeking behavior, increased symptom severity, treatment resistance and decreased functioning. Moreover, comorbidities cause significant difficulties in nosology and diagnosis, and may cause treatment challenges. In this review, major psychiatric comorbidities that can be encountered over the course of SAD as well as comorbidity associated diagnostic and therapeutic challenges will be discussed.