There is an observed link between childhood ADHD and the development of certain personality disorders. Longitudinal data has shown that children with ADHD are significantly more likely to develop personality disorders later in adolescence than those without the condition.
At least 14% of those diagnosed with ADHD in childhood later receive a diagnosis of BPD while between 18% and 34% of the adults with ADHD are estimated to have comorbid BPD.
Yes, it is possible to have BPD and ADHD simultaneously. However, the prevalence of ADHD is around 5%, while for BPD, it is around 1–6%. Experts estimate that around 14% of individuals with an ADHD diagnosis in childhood later receive a diagnosis of BPD.
If left untreated, ADHD can lead to problems with productivity, interpersonal relationships, and further mental health problems.
It seems that a history of childhood ADHD may increase the risk for developing BPD, and will increase the severity of BPD symptoms. In those with histories of early trauma, co-occurrence of the two disorders results in greater impulsivity and emotional dysregulation.
An ADHD diagnosis increases the risk of trauma exposure for several key reasons. Children with ADHD alone are at a heightened risk for factors that are strongly linked to trauma, including: Interpersonal and self-regulatory problems. Substance abuse.
While there is stronger research linking ADHD to BPD and ASPD, it's still likely that people with ADHD are more likely to develop NPD than the general population.
Can You Have ADHD and ASPD? Studies suggest that as many as 90% of adults with ADHD have other mental health disorders. ASPD is one of the most common mental disorders that happens with ADHD. One study showed that men with ADHD were more likely to have antisocial personality disorder than women with ADHD.
ADHD is not a mood disorder or a personality disorder. Mood disorders mainly affect a person's mood, causing persistent or unpredictable changes in mood that negatively affect their life. Personality disorders affect how a person thinks, behaves, and treats others.
Clinical Symptom Overlap
The two core features that ADHD and BPD share include impulsivity and emotional regulation difficulties (Ditrich et al., 2021; Weiner et al., 2019).
Overlapping Symptoms
The symptoms that overlap between BPD and ADHD are those related to impulsiveness, difficulty regulating emotions, and challenges with interpersonal interactions and relationships. 3 BPD and ADHD may also be comorbid, which means they occur together in the same person at the same time.
Experts now consider ADHD to be on a spectrum, as each person can experience varying levels of symptom severity. There are also different types of ADHD, which cause different types of symptoms. When diagnosing ADHD, a doctor will use set criteria to determine the type and severity of ADHD.
Narcissistic personality disorder is typically characterized by grandiosity, a sense of entitlement, and disregard for other people's needs. Symptoms of ADHD, on the other hand, usually include difficulty focusing, impulsivity, restlessness, and memory challenges.
Certain disorders may mimic ASPD, so it's important for your healthcare provider to make the right diagnosis. These disorders include: Borderline personality disorder, or unstable moods and manipulative behavior. Narcissistic personality disorder, or an inflated sense of self-importance.
Toxic relationships hound many people with ADHD, whose persistent symptoms and battered self-esteem make them especially susceptible to “love bombing,” “trauma bonding,” and other romantic red flags. Here, learn how to spot signs of an unhealthy relationship.
There are some similarities and differences between ADHD and NPD. For example, someone with ADHD may appear self-focused during the conversation. However, the reasons for this apparent self-focus are very different from those of someone with NPD.
Yes, those with ADHD, like anyone else, can indeed be untruthful, manipulative, and intentionally misleading. But for those who struggle with ADHD, their various processing issues can often be at the heart of their misleading communication problems.
Many of us had hardships growing up. But if you had ADHD symptoms as a child, they increase the odds you experienced childhood traumas like accidental injuries, car crashes, and emotional or physical abuse. Those traumas may then set you up for having ADHD in your adulthood.
ADHD may significantly increase mental stress levels. Developmental issues may affect how a person responds to stressful life events, which may lead to dissociation.
Many of the symptoms of a manic bipolar episode and ADHD may be similar, such as distractibility, restlessness, or impulsivity. So ADHD may go undiagnosed in a person with bipolar disorder, if a doctor mistakes ADHD symptoms for a manic episode.
Though not often listed as symptoms, other indications of ADHD in girls and women include co-occurring depression and anxiety, difficult romantic relationships that can lead to intimate partner violence, trouble maintaining friendships, and at least one space in her life in disarray (messy house, messy bedroom, or ...
There are four personality disorders within Cluster B. They include antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder.