Coexisting Anxiety and ADHD: Addressing Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment

In collaboration with the American Brain Coalition.

The diagnosis and management of patients with coexisting anxiety and attentional symptoms is frequently a complicated situation for clinicians, given the interplay between the two problems. Therefore it is essential that clinicians understand the current evidence about how to manage this unique patient population. This webinar explores specific clinical challenges related to this issue: Anxiety disorders are often associated with cognitive symptoms, which can resemble ADHD. Conversely, patients with ADHD often experience anxiety resulting from the consequences of their functional impairments. In addition, an anxiety disorder and ADHD can often occur together, which each illness having potential to exacerbate the other. Treatment can be a challenge, in that many medications that treat anxiety can worsen cognition; meanwhile, stimulant medications used to treat ADHD can have anxiety as a side effect. 

Webinar Description

This webinar reviews the latest research and current evidence-based guidelines about how to make accurate diagnoses and deliver effective treatment in patients with coexisting anxiety and attentional symptoms. Both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions will be reviewed. Case vignettes will be used to illustrate concepts and demonstrate how the content discussed can be applied to clinical practice. This webinar will be of interest to all clinicians who regularly assess and manage patients with anxiety disorders and/or ADHD. At the end of the presentation, participants should feel more confident in their ability to diagnose and treat patients with coexisting anxiety and attentional symptoms.

Learning Objectives

• Explain challenges that arise in making an accurate diagnosis when assessing patients with coexisting anxiety and attentional symptoms
• Describe and implement interventions to manage anxiety disorders in the presence of a coexisting diagnosis of ADHD
• Describe and implement interventions to manage ADHD in the presence of a coexisting anxiety disorder