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ADHD and Addiction

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Co-occurring Addictive and Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity. It is frequently present in substance use disorder (SUD) patients; estimates of the prevalence of ADHD vary between 14 % and 23 % in SUD populations. The high comorbidity is partly based on communal underlying neurobiological characteristics such as a shared genetic background of the two disorders. Neuropsychological correlates of both disorders include a dysfunction of the motivational/reward system and impulsivity. In general, patients with this type of comorbidity represent a more severe subgroup of SUD patients with more additional comorbidity and a more disadvantageous prognosis and higher treatment drop-out than SUD patients without ADHD. It is important to detect and treat ADHD in SUD patients, and substance use disorder treatment centers can play an important role in this by screening for ADHD. Treatment options may include medication, although convincing evidence of effect in SUD populations is yet lacking, and cognitive behavioral therapy. As problems of SUD and ADHD can be intertwined, it is appropriate to start ADHD treatment during SUD treatment, ideally after initial stabilization of substance use. As this patient group is characterized by high complexity, further research and development of integrated treatment programs are warranted.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Mental Health Care GGZ InGeest, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Katelijne van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Katelijne van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen & Robert A. Schoevers

  3. Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Maija Konstenius

Authors
  1. Katelijne van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen
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  2. Maija Konstenius
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  3. Robert A. Schoevers
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Katelijne van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Collaborative Psychiatric Research Institute, Antwerp University PC Alexian Brothers Boechout, Boechout, Belgium

    Geert Dom

  2. Clinical Psychological Service and Department, University Hospital of Psychiatry & University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Franz Moggi

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van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen, K., Konstenius, M., Schoevers, R.A. (2015). ADHD and Addiction. In: Dom, G., Moggi, F. (eds) Co-occurring Addictive and Psychiatric Disorders. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45375-5_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45375-5_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-45374-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-45375-5

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