As many as one in three children with ADHD also have other psychological or developmental conditions, including:

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).

Generally defined as a pattern of negative, defiant and hostile behavior toward authority figures, ODD tends to occur more frequently in children who are impulsive and hyperactive and is especially common in boys.

Conduct disorder.

 A more serious condition than ODD, conduct disorder is marked by distinctly antisocial behavior: stealing, fighting, destroying property, harming people and animals. Children with conduct disorder need

• immediate help.
• Depression. Depression may occur in both children and adults with ADHD. It's more likely to appear when there is a family history of depression.

• Anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders tend to occur fairly often in children with ADHD and may cause overwhelming worry and nervousness as well as physical signs and symptoms, such as a rapid heartbeat, sweating and dizziness. Although anxiety disorders can cause severe symptoms, most people can be helped with therapy or medication. Once anxiety is under control, children are better able to deal with the problems arising from ADHD.
• Learning disabilities. Children with both ADHD and learning disabilities are the children most in need of special education services.
• Tourette's syndrome. Many children with ADHD are at increased risk of Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder characteried by compulsive muscular or vocal tics.

Other difficulties

In addition to conditions that may occur with ADHD, the disorder itself can make life difficult for both children and adults. Children often struggle in the classroom, which can lead to academic failure and ridicule from both other children and adults. Although ADHD doesn't affect intelligence, the majority of ADHD children are underachievers in school and many have been held back at least one grade. They are also more likely to drop out of school than are children who don't have ADHD. These problems are likely related to poor organizational skills, lack of attention and hyperactivity. As a result, children with ADHD often endure an ongoing cycle of ostracism and punishment for behavior they can't control.

In addition, children with ADHD are much more likely to experience minor trauma, such as fractures and lacerations, than are other children. And teenagers and adults with the disorder are far more likely to be involved in car accidents. In fact, people with ADHD tend to have more accidents and injuries of all kinds than do those who don't have the disorder.

ADHD has been associated with an increased risk of alcohol and drug abuse and delinquency. Some studies suggest that this is more likely to occur in people who have emotional problems in addition to ADHD.

Adults with ADHD are at increased risk of marital stress and divorce. Often, these adults didn't have the condition diagnosed during childhood and may have spent their lives struggling to understand their own behavior. In fact, many adults don't realize they have ADHD until a child or grandchild receives a diagnosis of the condition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention-deficit_hyperactivity_disorder

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