Adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder had an increased likelihood of attempted suicide, compared with adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder only (3.0% vs. 1.1%, respectively), according to research published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Dr. Wen-Hsuan Lan of Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan and associates identified 500 adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder and ADHD between 15 and 24 years old, who were selected from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database between 2002 and 2008. In addition to exploring the link between ADHD and attempted suicide in patients with bipolar disorder, the researchers also noted that patients with bipolar disorder and ADHD had a higher prevalence of anxiety disorder (25.6% vs. 15.8%; P = .001) and disruptive behavior disorders (13.2% vs. 2.7%; P = .001) than did those with bipolar disorder alone.

“In contrast to the results of these previous studies, our results suggested that ADHD is an independent risk factor for attempted suicide among patients with bipolar disorder after adjustment for demographic factors, anxiety disorder, disruptive behavior disorders, alcohol use disorders, and substance use disorders,” the researchers wrote. Read the entire article here: J. Affect. Disord. 2015;176:171-5 .

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