ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD and other conditions can be related. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is not a mental illness, even if the word disorder is in its description.

When considering the evolution of the species, the human body gradually adjusts to the needs dictated by the environment. If we consider ADHD from that viewpoint, we could refer to the environment as being disordered rather than the brain of the person who presents with ADHD features. However, there is a link between ADHD and mental health problems, like Depression, Anxiety, OCD, PTSD or Substance Misuse.

There is also significant coexistence with Autistic Spectrum and Bipolar Affective Disorder, but the aetiology is different from the previous mentioned problems. ADHD manifests with short attention span, hyperactivity and impulsivity as core features, but there are many subtypes, and I would add, as many as individuals. The different features present in different ways in different people.

ADHD is not a mental illness, but how does it relate to mental health problems? Does it relate to its severity? And, how can we ascertain the severity of it? My clinical experience tells me that different features can have different severity in the same individual, and even the most severe ADHD can pose a lesser handicap than a less severe one depending upon the individual and environmental features, and it can also be advantageous.

ADHD can relate to stress due difficulties planning and organising, leading to procrastination and last minute anxieties. Prolonged stress is linked to Depression, and there is a biological explanation, because the excessive cortisol secreted during the stressful periods can trigger Depression. The inner restlessness, often present in ADHD, can be easily mistaken for anxiety. However, that restlessness relates to boredom rather than to external threats or fears.

The Anxiety is a normal response to fear and is necessary for survival. Optimum levels of Anxiety improve performance. However, when the Anxiety is disproportionate to its cause, it becomes a problem. Feeling overwhelmed by external demands which are more difficult to meet due to the ADHD features are linked to Anxiety and Depression, and they affect the individual’s performance. It is when, sometimes, ADHD becomes evident, even though it is a lifelong condition people are born with.

Depression and Anxiety can be linked to alcohol and drugs as means of self-medication. ADHD can also relate to alcohol and drugs when the excessive energy or high brain activity is not optimally used. In a hostile natural environment, the ADHD has a fundamental role, but when the ADHD skill is no longer necessary, we could say that the ADHD brain is “overqualified”. A piano virtuoso who no longer gives concerts but teaches primary school children, is bound to lose skill and feel frustrated. This situation can actually perpetuate the collateral problems attached to ADHD.

Other potentially associated problems like PTSD and complex transgenerational trauma deserve a chapter in their own right. They are also linked to the potential use of alcohol and drugs. We can look at it as different areas which. although independent, there are interconnected with each other and enhance each other.Autistic Spectrum and ADHD have up to 40% overlap, as they are both constitute Neurodiversity. There is a genetic link between Bipolar Affective Disorder and ADHD, but this is a mere coincidence due to chromosomal locations rather than due to an interaction between conditions.