ADHD & Anxiety Comorbidity

“Anxiety is the most common comorbid diagnosis with adult ADHD…Although anxiety alone is not included in the diagnostic criterion for ADHD, the link between the two conditions is strong. Individuals with ADHD are more likely to have an anxiety disorder than are individuals without the condition, with rates approaching 50 percent.”

https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-anxiety-symptoms-coping/

For those of you affected by ADHD, do you also have an anxiety diagnosis?

As a late ADHD diagnosis (I masked for decades, but after having kids, experiencing divorce, and several episodes of work burnout, I sought help with counseling, therapy, psychiatry, and support groups), I’m exploring more about the anxiety comorbidity connection.

I’ve had debilitating anxiety most of life (likely associated with childhood and adolescent trauma experienced from sexual abuse by different male individuals), I was formerly diagnosed with Situational Anxiety Disorder (related to not coping well with fear manifesting as OCD tendencies after my divorce) as well as generalized anxiety disorder and depression (from work burnout as well as hostile work environment resulting in a stressful EEO complaint).

I was prescribed many SSRIs and finally gave up treating my depression with meds because they were too numbing and made me feel even worse about life. I switched insomnia and anxiety treatment; worked with my psychiatrist to adjust my generic ADHD Adderall to a microdose of 7.5 mg (once per day with coffee in the morning, no significant side effects other than life exponentially improving because my brain would focus for those first few hours to yield a productive morning that then made me feel in control and reduced anxiety), participated in ketamine therapy with NueLife (in maintenance mode now), and my life experience has significantly improved in spite of all the stress related to accepting a new job, selling my house, moving my family of 7 nearly 1000 miles from beautiful Colorado (missing that mountain sun in Kansas!), starting year 4 living with my 81 yo mom affected by Dementia as well as 79 yo dad who is her primary caregiver (my husband and I serve as backup), and preparing to soft-launch a life coaching business.

My takeaway is: when I can self-regulate (and back-up with meds if I need it…I wonder if these meds are more psychological crutches? Better than medicating with alcohol though!) my anxiety and ADHD are better controlled…thereby my chances for depressive episodes are reduced, and it’s easier and faster to navigate out of the funk when it does happen.

Do any of you have a similar ADHD and anxiety (even depression?) comorbidity relationship?

Thank you!!!