[Diagnosis of deficit and attention/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in patients with bipolar or unipolar depression: an experimental study]

INTRODUCTION: The present research study starts up from the current scientific and academic interest concerning Deficit and Attention/Hyperactivity Disorders, which in this period seems to have an "epidemic" diffusion. Some authors have proved how the Deficit and Attention/Hyperactivity Disorder may predispose to the development of other psychopathological attitude in adulthood. A recent study has underlined a common comorbidity between ADHD in childhood and Bipolar Disorder. The aim of the present was to verify the existence of an ADHD diagnosis in patients with depression (Unipolar and Bipolar) and to verify if such syndrome overstays in the present psychopathological picture. Moreover there has been even the intention to investigate on a difference in ADHD symptomatology in patients with Bipolar and Unipolar Depression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study has been conducted on a sample of 67 patients with depression diagnosis (35 patients with bipolar depression diagnosis, 32 patients with depression unipolar diagnosis) enrolled at the Bipolar Disorders Unit of the Clinical Psychiatry and Drug Dependence Institute of the Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli in Rome. The evaluation has been performed through the supply of the following psychometric tests: Neo Personality Inventory (Mole-pi-R), Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale (Brown ADD-Scale), Adult ADHD Self-Report Staircases (ASRS-v1.1), Criteria of the Deficit and Attention / Hyperactivity Disorder for childhood according to the DSM-IV-Tr. RESULTS: The achieved results point out that 42% of the sample has satisfied the ADHD Criterions during their childhood according to the DSM-IV-Tr and that symptomatology seems to remain in the present psychopathological picture. As to polarity of depression it has emerged that patients with Bipolar Depression diagnosis have satisfied with a greater frequency the ADHD criteria during their childhood than patients with Unipolar Depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results seem to confirm the hypothesis that patients with bipolar depression diagnosis have more Deficit and Attention / Hyperactivity Disorders comorbidity diagnosis than others.