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Child / Adolescent - Depression

Characterizing ADHD in Major Depressive Disorder within the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network (TX-YDSRN)

(PS5-66) Characterizing ADHD in Major Depressive Disorder Within the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network (TX-YDSRN)

Friday, November 15, 2024
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM EST
Location: Franklin Hall, Level 4, Marriott Downtown

    Author(s)

  • BU

    Blake M. Upshaw, B.A.

    Research Coordinator
    Baylor College of Medicine
    Houston, Texas, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Samuel D. Spencer, Ph.D. (he/him/his)

    Assistant Professor
    University of North Texas
    Houston, Texas, United States

  • AM

    Abu Minhajuddin, Ph.D.

    Professor
    Children’s Health – Children’s Medical Center/University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
    dallas, Texas, United States

  • VZ

    Vadym Zhyrov, M.S.

    Clinical Research Assistant
    Children’s Health – Children’s Medical Center/University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
    Dallas, Texas, United States

  • HS

    Holli Slater, Ph.D., MSW

    Clinical Research Manager
    Children’s Health – Children’s Medical Center/University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
    Dallas, Texas, United States

  • SM

    Sarah Martin, M.D.

    Chief, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
    Texas Tech University, El Paso
    El Paso, Texas, United States

  • JS

    Jair C. Soares, M.D., Ph.D.

    Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
    UT Health, Houston, McGovern Medical School
    Houston, Texas, United States

  • Jeffrey D. Shahidullah, ABPP, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor
    University of Texas at Austin
    Austin, Texas, United States

  • RH

    R. Andrew Harper, M.D.

    Clinical Professor and Associate Department Head for Clinical Care
    Texas A & M University
    Bryan, Texas, United States

  • MG

    Madelyn Guerra, B.A.

    Research Coodinator
    University of North Texas Health Science Center
    Fort Worth, Texas, United States

  • SW

    Sarah Wakefield, M.D.

    Chair of Psychiatry and Associate Professor
    Texas Tech University Health Science Center
    Lubbock, Texas, United States

  • MT

    Madhukar H. Trivedi, M.D.

    Professor of Psychiatry, Chief of the Division of Mood Disorders, Director of the CDRC
    Children’s Health – Children’s Medical Center/University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
    Dallas, Texas, United States

  • ES

    Eric A. Storch, Ph.D.

    Professor and Vice Chair of Psychology
    Baylor College of Medicine
    Houston, Texas, United States

Abstract Text: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common comorbid condition in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in youth. Indeed, comorbid MDD-ADHD has been associated with significant academic and social impairments, increased symptom severity, and a multitude of other negative outcomes. Understanding the connection between these disorders can provide unique insight to further our understanding of this comorbidity, as well as offer implications for assessment and treatment. In the present study, we sought to explore the prevalence of ADHD among depressed youth in Texas and identify differences on key clinical characteristics in depressed youth with and without ADHD. Data included 797 youth (Mage = 15.5; SD = 2.6) from the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network (TX-YDSRN) who met diagnostic criteria for MDD. The TX-YDSRN is an ongoing initiative in the state of Texas comprised of 12 academic medical centers tracking depression and/or suicidal ideation/behavior in youth and young adults (ages 8-20) receiving care for depression at participating clinics. Results indicated that 39.6% of youth had a comorbid diagnosis of ADHD. Independent samples t-tests indicated that youth with comorbid ADHD-MDD had higher scores on measures of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, with effect sizes in the small range. Additionally, results of logistic regression models predicting likelihood of ADHD-MDD comorbidity status showed that higher depression, lower resilience, greater suicidality, and worse school functioning were all associated with increased likelihood of comorbid ADHD-MDD compared to MDD alone. Demographic characteristics, including older age and male gender, were also associated with increased likelihood of comorbid ADHD-MDD. Clinicians may find it valuable to further consider depression severity, suicidal ideation, resilience, school functioning, and the child’s age when assessing for this comorbidity. These findings could have profound impact corroborating accurate differential diagnosis and ensuring treatment plans are tailored to aptly target the correct symptomology. These findings also further our knowledge of youth mental health issues in Texas, which offers potential to encourage greater public policy, school policy, and research funding to improve mental health outcomes and access to care. Such dissemination and implementation work is especially important given that large swaths of Texas contain rural and medically underserved areas. Indeed, the importance of expanding knowledge in this domain is emphasized given the staggering comorbidity rate of ADHD in youth with MDD. Future research should be done exploring ADHD symptomology, morbidity onset, and all factors within community-based samples to continue to innovate interventions and address mental health concerns in Texas.