Neighbor News
Addressing Comorbid ADHD and Depression in Children
Dr. Clatch writes about the comordibity of ADHD and depression, and offers advice for parents of children recently diagnosed.
Labeling a child with a clinical diagnosis can create a number of negative feelings. Children with ADHD may view themselves differently from their peers, may feel as if they are not as smart as others or may believe that they are worthless. Negative feelings that persist over a period of time can lower self- esteem and, if left unaddressed, may result in the development of depression comorbid with ADHD.
If your child develops both ADHD and depression, choices about treatment will need to be made. In particular, a decision regarding which condition to treat first will be needed. If ADHD is causing the child’s depression, treatment of ADHD symptoms will take precedence over the treatment of depressive symptoms. By treating the ADHD symptoms first, it should be possible to resolve the symptoms of depression. However, if depressive symptoms are contributing to or exacerbating symptoms of ADHD, the depressive symptoms should be treated first. By treating depressive symptoms first, it should be possible to reduce the impact of ADHD symptoms for the child.
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