The authors examine the influence of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD) and anti-social personality disorder (ASPD) on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across life span. The findings showed that ADHD is modulated by this comorbidities and ADHD prognosis is modified depending on the presence or the absence of those disorders. ODD intensifies ADHD impulsivity and isolationism, but does not lead to an increase in the prevalence of ASPD in adulthood. Otherwise, CD associated with ADHD increases significantly the levels of impulsivity and aggressiveness, is associated with ASPD and a poor outcome. The appropriate approach to ADHD must be based on the correct diagnosis of different comorbidities to predict the outcomes. Further studies are needed to investigate if the treatment of ADHD can produce a significant improvement on the outcomes of this group of patients.
ADHD; adult; oppositional defiant disorder; conduct disorder; anti-social personality disorder