Complications

ADHD can make life difficult for children. Children with ADHD:

• Often struggle in the classroom, which can lead to academic failure and judgment by other children and adults
• Tend to have more accidents and injuries of all kinds than do children who don't have ADHD
• Tend to have poor self-esteem
• Are more likely to have trouble interacting with and being accepted by peers and adults
• Are at increased risk of alcohol and drug abuse and other delinquent behavior

Coexisting conditions

ADHD doesn't cause other psychological or developmental problems. However, children with ADHD are more likely than others to also have conditions such as:

• Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), generally defined as a pattern of negative, defiant and hostile behavior toward authority figures
• Conduct disorder, marked by antisocial behavior such as stealing, fighting, destroying property, and harming people or animals
• Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, characterized by irritability and problems tolerating frustration
• Learning disabilities, including problems with reading, writing, understanding and communicating
• Substance use disorders, including drugs, alcohol and smoking
• Anxiety disorders, which may cause overwhelming worry and nervousness, and include obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder, which includes depression as well as manic behavior
• Autism spectrum disorder, a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others
• Tic disorder or Tourette syndrome, disorders that involve repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can't be easily controlled