Being afflicted with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (also known as ADHD or ADD) can be daunting enough for both children and adults alike. All that inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsitivy in a child with ADD can definitely create a nerve-wracking experience for any parent (or parental figure) tasked to look after the child.

But that is not the end of all these challenges. It is commonly known in the medical field that ADD often coexists with a host of other disorders, which often complicate the matter further. Listed here are some of the most common disorders, which oftentimes go hand-in-hand with ADD. Let us take a closer look.

. Anxiety and Depression. These are

among the most common disorders, which sometimes accompany ADD. However, once these disorders are successfully diagnosed and treated, the child will have greater chances of coping with the symptoms of ADD.

. Bipolar Disorder. How do we differentiate between ADD and bipolar disorder? This can be a very tough call indeed! ADD and bipolar disorder share a lot of common symptoms. Both disorders render a child with an almost inexhaustible source of energy, a reduced need for sleep and mood swings, among others. So far, only a fine thin line distinguishes between the two.

. Learning Disabilities. ADD is oftentimes accompanied by various forms of learning disabilities in one or more

areas of learning. Research indicates that approximately 20 to 30% of all ADD-afflicted children of preschool year also exhibit a marked difficulty in understanding certain sounds or words and may also display a significant difficulty in communicating his or her thoughts verbally.

Other forms of learning disorders may likewise become apparent once these children reach school age. Among the most common disorders, which become evident during this period are reading, writing and spelling disorders (such as dyslexia) along with arithmetic disorders.

. Tourette Syndrome. Tourette syndrome is primarily a neurological disorder characterized by nervous tics and repetitive mannerisms. Some of the most common indications of this syndrome are distinctive facial twitches, eye blinks, grimacing and

frequent clearing of the throat, snorting, sniffing or barking out words.

Tourette syndrome cases are very few but those who have it are usually also found to be affected with ADD.

. Oppositional Defiant Disorder. This disorder is most commonly exhibited by an alarming percentage (35 to 50%) of all children afflicted with ADD and is interestingly more common in boys as compared with girls. Those afflicted with this disorder are mostly described as stubborn (and oftentimes exceedingly so), are uncooperative and often display outbursts of temper. Unfortunately, children with this disorder are very much in sync with their rebellious nature!

. Conduct Disorder. If you think that the symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder

are grave enough, brace yourselves for this one! Studies show that a significant number of children with ADD (estimated at 20 to 40%) may eventually develop a more serious antisocial behavior known as conduct disorder.

Children and teens with this disorder are more prone to getting into trouble at school, with the police and with any other authority figures. There is a very high tendency for children with this disorder to lie and cheat compulsively and get into fights. As such, it can be said that breaking the rules are their ultimate objectives. These children and teens are also more prone to experiment with drugs and thus, drug abuse is by no means a remote possibility

for those with this disorder.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to [http://add.treatment-and-guides.com/]ADD